The Rest Of Our Lives
by Tribbith
Summary: No one imagined Finn Hudson to become the owner of one of the most popular bars in New York, and no one imagined Rachel Berry to be a Lima loser after all.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or Colin Hay's 'I Just Don't Think I Will Ever Get Over You'**

_It started with a kiss._

_Actually, if you had to be technical about it, it started with Finn having sex with Santana, and then a lot of arguing and frustration and_then _a kiss._

_But it all equated to the same thing; Rachel had lost Finn, and though she'd tried to make amends, he didn't want anything to do with her anymore; _fantastic_._

_Had she known that one kiss would have an effect on the rest of her life? Of course not; it was high school, and she had plenty of time to rectify her mistake._

_Right?_

The phone rang in the tiny apartment. The noise sounded lonely in the silence of her home, though after a minute passed, it merely sounded impatient, just like the rest of the young girl's life (hadn't she turned on the answering machine?).

She hurried out of her bathroom, careful not to slip on the wet floor tiles, and with a resignation that she'd become used to, she picked up the receiver and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hi there. I hope this isn't an inadequate time but I'm calling on behalf of a national survey. Could you spare five minutes to help collect some data?"_

The girl looked at the clock that hung on the wall, and aware that she had nowhere to be, she decided to be co-operative. "Of course."

"_Thank you. Though the questions may appear a little personal, they will not be distributed for third party use, and will be used in the strictest of confidence. Firstly, what is your name please?"_

"Rachel Berry." She used to say her name with pride; now Rachel said it with shame.

**Glee!**

_It started with a kiss._

_Actually, if you had to be technical about it, it started with Rachel lying about having sex with Jesse, and then a lot of arguing and frustration and_then_a kiss._

_But it all equated to the same thing; Finn had been betrayed by Rachel, and though she'd tried to make amends, he couldn't trust her anymore;_fantastic_._

_Had he known that his decision to break up with her would affect the rest of his life? Of course not; it was a high school romance, and he had plenty of time to find someone else to love._

_Right?_

The phone rang in his office. The noise sounded comfortable in there since the recipient was in such demand, though after a minute passed, it merely sounded desperate, just like a lot of things in the young man's life (wasn't his secretary supposed to patch all of his calls through?).

With a sigh and a hand on his temple to rub away his headache, he picked up the receiver and held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hi there. I hope this isn't an inadequate time but I'm calling on behalf of a national survey. Could you spare five minutes to help collect some data?"_

The boy looked at his watch, and aware that he had nothing else to do before he left, he decided to be co-operative. "Sure."

"_Thank you. Though the questions may appear a little personal, they will not be distributed for third party use, and will be used in the strictest of confidence. Firstly, what is your name please?"_

"Finn Hudson." He used to say his name with shame; now Finn said it with pride.

**Glee!**

"_How old are you?"_

"Twenty one."

"_Where do you live?"_

"Lima, Ohio."

"_What is your occupation?"_

"Amateur actress."

"_Did you attend college or any kind of further education?"_

"I... I spent a year in college before I dropped out."

"_Are you currently single?"_

"Yes."

"_Are you happy?"_

"...no."

"_That's all; thank you for your time Miss Berry."_

**Glee!**

"_How old are you?"_

"Twenty two."

"_Where do you live?"_

"New York City."

"_What is your occupation?"_

"I own a bar."

"_Did you attend college or any other kind of further education?"_

"No."

"_Are you currently single?"_

"Yes."

"_Are you happy?"_

"...yes."

"_That's all; thank you for your time Mr Hudson."_

**Glee!**

In Lima and New York respectively, two people went through their days like any other normal day. They smiled when they were smiled at, they talked when they were talked at, and as the sunlight was replaced with darkness, Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson went to bed alone, as always, not realising that everything was about to change.

_**End their last Finchel-less day**_

**Glee!**

_**Day one of the rest of Finn Hudson's life**_

"_Mr Hudson, it's Taylor Swift again. She's wondering if she could book a table for next Saturday night?"_

"Doesn't she understand how busy we are? Ugh, erm, tell her that we'll see what we can do, but if she feels like she _has_to perform again, make sure she clears it with me first."

"_Okay, I'll tell her. Also, there's a man on the other line who wants to talk to you; he says his name is William Schuester."_

"Schuester?"

"_If you're too busy to talk to him, I can-"_

"No, patch him through; thanks Janet."

Finn Hudson looked down at the phone on his desk; one of the lights was flashing, and the reason for the flashing was Will Schuester, who he hadn't talked to in... He rubbed his eyes and let out a slow whistle; well, it was a long time, that's all he knew.

He lifted the receiver and pressed a button before cautiously taking a breath. "This is Finn Hudson, owner of Faithfully Bar... Mr Schue?" He bit back a groan because _he_was the one that was addressed as Mr these days; the man on the other end of the phone wasn't his teacher anymore.

"_Finn, hi, it's good to hear your voice again._"

"It's been a while." He hadn't expected it to be so hard to talk to Mr Schue, but then again, he'd become a little guarded over past acquaintances. Ever since he'd made a name for himself, people he barely knew had been trying to get money and contacts out of him, and honestly, he'd reached the end of his tether.

Mr Schue was different though, or at least he assumed. Unlike the dickhead Azimio (who had asked for a couple of thousand dollars to pay off some debtors), Finn had actually liked Will, and he wasn't the type of guy to look for a handout.

"_Yes, I'm sorry about that. Look, I was wondering if my glee club and I could travel up to your bar in the next few weeks to see the magic for ourselves? I'm having a hard time motivating my newest group of potential stars, and I thought it'd be a good thing for them to see how one of my old students has done in the real world. I'm sorry if I'm imposing or anything-"_

"No, that sounds like a good idea Mr... Will. I'll contact you when we have a free table, though you might have to wait a while; we're pretty busy at the minute."

Finn heard the familiar laugh of his old teacher and couldn't help but smile to himself.

"_That's great, thanks Finn. Congrats on everything!"_

"Thanks Mr Schue," Finn said fondly. He hung up the phone, pressed the receiver to his lips, then laughed like a loser because the idea of seeing his teacher again was _exciting,_and it had been a while since he'd been excited.

Finn rummaged around his desk for his cell phone, and once he'd found it hidden under hundreds of 'thank you for an amazing night!' letters, he sent a text to Puck.

"_Guess who's waiting for a table at the best bar in town?"_

"_Oh God, let it be Megan Fox!"_

"_I'm pretty sure she won't be coming back after the last time."_

"_I spilt that drink on her cleavage by accident Hudson, and don't you forget it ;) Who's the lucky gal?"_

"_Mr Schue."_

"_No way! I'm coming over 'cause I need to make myself pretty for tonight anyway."_

Finn looked at his hair in the mirror, practiced a few breathing exercises, then checked with Janet, his secretary, to see if everything was ready for the press conference.

Deep breath. Deep breath. Deep breath.

**Glee!**

"_Finn honey, have you got a minute?" asked Carole softly as she knocked on her son's door._

"_Yeah, sure, come in."_

"_Could you come downstairs? Burt and I need to talk to you about something."_

_Finn frowned to himself as he threw his text book to the floor (finals study was kissing his ass). As he trudged down the stairs, he couldn't rid himself of his frown 'cause he had no idea what was going on. They weren't getting a divorce, were they? No, that was stupid, his mom was really happy and stuff, and Burt seemed happy too._

"_Hey Finn, sorry to distract you but this is important," began Burt. Finn managed a nod, and with a smile from his mom, he sat on the couch, his stomach making grumbly noises 'cause he was pretty nervous about whatever this was. Burt perched beside him, and after clasping and unclasping his hands together, he patted Finn's shoulder once. "We're going to give you some money."_

"_...huh?" Finn said, half asleep. "Money? I don't... huh?"_

_Burt smiled at him, then at Carole, who was hovering behind her husband, before clearing his throat. "Yeah, I probably could have worded that a little better. Okay, so basically, we know that college isn't for everybody, and we're not mad that you've chosen to go down a different path. So don't think otherwise, because it's better now that you realise it's not your thing then when you get there, right?"_

_Finn gulped painfully and nodded. "R-right."_

"_Anyway, since it's your life, and you can do whatever you want to do, we thought that you might need a bit of money to help you get going. You're graduating soon, so we're gonna put some money in your account, and what you do with it is your own business."_

"_Just don't do drugs, okay honey?" added his mom, which elicited an embarrassed laugh from Finn._

"_Wow, I don't know what to say... thanks!" He wasn't really a fan of hugging Burt 'cause it was still a little weird now and again, but swept up in the moment, Finn threw his arms around his step-dad, pulling his mom towards them to make it a group hug._

"_Don't mention it," said Burt, and Finn could have sworn that he sounded like he was going to cry._

**Glee!**

_**Day one of the rest of Rachel Berry's life**_

"I can't _believe_ it!" gushed Anna as she hugged a newspaper to her chest. "It's like God woke up and thought 'today, I'm going to give Anna the opportunity of a lifetime that she's always wished for'."

Rachel Berry rolled her eyes at the overdramatic girl that was Anna King. Before she'd become involved in the world of theatre, Rachel had always assumed that she was as dramatic as they came, but at that point in her life, she hadn't had the 'pleasure' of meeting Anna.

"And tell me again what you're obsessing over?" she asked wearily as she stuffed her dance clothes into her bag with a quiet huff. She glanced over at Anna in time to receive a horrified glare.

"Are you _serious_ Rachel? I've been talking about this all day long and you weren't even _listening?"_ The girl fluffed up her blonde, frizzy hair in agitation, which was something that she did quite often, before she placed one hand on her hip, the other holding the paper out to Rachel. "He's holding a press conference today, which can mean one of two things." Rachel looked at the picture on the front page, barely listening to what Anna was saying because, smiling at her with his crooked smile and his mesmerising brown eyes, was Finn Hudson.

"Finn..."

"The first is that he eloped in secret, but I mean come _on,_Finn Hudson's never been spotted with a girl before, and he's denied rumours that he's gay so it _must_ mean that they're holding open auditions!" Anna flicked her hair again, this time in a way that made her seem smug and confident. "I'm going to audition, and I'm going to get that job and win Finn's heart while I'm at it." She pulled her bag over her shoulder and patted Rachel once on the shoulder. "I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow Rachel."

Rachel hadn't heard any of it because she was still trying to pick herself off of the floor. Of _course_ she'd heard about Finn's endeavour in New York, with his bar and his friends and his talent, but since then, she'd tried to forget about him, and had purposefully avoided anything to do with his bar and its ridiculously perfect name.

She scanned the front page of the paper and felt her heart throb in her throat: _The press conference is scheduled for 5pm EST tonight, and with no indication that Mr Hudson has a personal crisis to discuss, it seems likely that he will be announcing another set of open auditions for the elusive chance to work at his 'Faithfully' bar, one of the most popular locations of its time._

**Glee!**

"_I'd like to dedicate this song to a friend of mine. I really hurt him, and I hope he can find it in his heart to forgive me." Rachel hadn't mentioned Finn's name, but it was obvious enough who she was referring to. She ignored the rolling of eyes and the quiet disapproving murmurs of her teammates because this was about Finn, not them._

_She risked a glance in his direction, and she could tell by the way his mouth was set that he was nervous and conflicted. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but the medium of song was her only escape, her only hope, and she just had to stay confident; he'd surely take her back after she sung to him._

_She sang Everybody Hurts by R.E.M because she knew that he was a big fan, and honestly, she couldn't have found a better song to express her true feelings. She put her heart into every dramatic facial expression, every tear that trailed down her cheek, and every glance that she spared for Finn (she didn't want to make it_too _obvious that it was for him)._

_At the end of her performance, after everyone had applauded (not that they put much effort into it), Rachel waited for Finn to stumble into her embrace and tell her that he had forgiven her._

"_That was good," he'd said before leaving, and even if everybody_did_hurt, it wasn't possible that anyone could hurt as much as Rachel._

**Glee!**

"Okay, we just have a few more questions before you leave for your press conference," said an interviewer from some magazine, who glanced down at her notepad before staring back up at Finn. "Though you've told other journalists that you named your bar after the classic Journey ballad, is there another reason why you'd make it your trademark brand?"

Finn hated that question, though it was his own fault for ever choosing the damn thing (Puck had told him just as much). "That's the only reason I'm afraid," he said with a forced, fake laugh. "I wish I could say it was dedicated to a dead dog of mine, but I was never allowed pets."

The interviewer chuckled, made a few notes, then nodded. "Drat, and here I was hoping for the exclusive on your love for Fido."

Finn shrugged and gave her the best smile he could muster. "Anything else? I'm sorry to rush you but I do have somewhere to be so..."

"Just one more," the interviewer promised, nodding as she smiled knowingly at him. "You must be bored by the constant questions regarding your sexuality and relationships, but what I'd like to know is this." She shifted in her seat, leaned towards Finn, and pressed her pen to the corner of her mouth, her eyes looking straight into his. "Even if you're not in love now, has there ever been anyone in your life who you thought you'd be with forever?"

Finn felt the back of his eyes sting; he hadn't been expecting that. He briefly contemplated lying so that he could avoid the connotations of the truth, but when it came down to it, would it matter if he talked about her?

"Yes," he said softly. He toyed with one of the buttons on his shirt as he glanced at his watch; he didn't really have time to go into depth. "All I'll say is that I thought we were set for life, but things happen that you can't really predict, and since then I've been happy on my own." He rose from his seat, clasped the interviewer's hands in his own, then gave her a brief smile as he headed for the door. "I'm sorry I can't stay, and thank you for taking the time to interview me; I hope I wasn't too boring for you." He hurried out of the room, checked his cell phone (ten missed calls and three voice messages), then sighed as he tried to forget about Rachel Berry; he'd been doing a good job at that for so long.

**Glee!**

"_Do you think you can ever forgive me, Finn?" asked Rachel after glee club rehearsal._

_Finn hadn't noticed that she'd cornered him, and he hadn't noticed that they were the only two left in the choir room; damn his unobservedness. "Forgive you?" he muttered stupidly. Of course he knew what she was talking about because it was all he could think of, but it was easier to play dumb than to accept the truth, which was pretty messed up in itself._

"_I know that I hurt you by kissing Noah, but surely you understand that you hurt me too? I'm positive we can just forget this ever happened and go back to-"_

"_No," he said firmly. He didn't look at her eyes because he knew that they'd be the death of him, and he had to finally put his foot down. "Yeah, I understand why you did it, and I understand that you're hurting but I can't handle this again." He threw his backpack over his shoulder and lowered his voice because he didn't want to sound too harsh. "I don't want to live with a constant fear in my chest that you're going to kiss someone else because I've made another mistake. Sorry."_

_He left Rachel to cry to herself because his heart had broken for the fiftieth time with the effort of setting her straight. He loved her, that would probably never change, but the past was the past right? She'd hurt him, he'd broken up with her, and that was that._

**Glee!**

Rachel stumbled into her tiny apartment, struggling under a mound of newspapers that were stacked precariously high in her grasp, and once she'd spread them perfectly across her living room floor, she turned on her laptop, tapping her fingers impatiently while she waited for it to load up.

Her eyes skated across the numerous headlines and the dozens of photos of her ex-boyfriend, and as it sunk in that this was the boy she'd planned to spend the rest of her life with, she felt imaginary tears stream down her face. What the hell was she doing? After high school, Rachel had done everything in her power to move on from Finn Hudson, and until today, she'd succeeded. It wasn't like she'd never heard of how well he was doing, how famous his bar was, how talented his staff were, but she'd forced herself not to pay attention to all the publicity surrounding him, and had instead carried on with her life without him.

So what had changed her mind?

_Open auditions._

She didn't want the job in the least. As much as she loved performing, her dream vocation had never been a singing waitress, and even with all the fame that went with the job, she knew it wouldn't be worth the long hours waiting on other people; Rachel Berry didn't wait on _anyone_.

Once her laptop was ready to go, she cautiously typed Finn's name into a search engine, not sure she was ready to see the results.

What was really bothering her, though?

Anna, as always. Rachel had become used to the girl's incessant, trivial rambling, but as the girl had declared that she would get the job _and_ Finn, it was as if Rachel was back in high school, listening to Santana Lopez bragging about her conquests.

Santana Lopez; she hadn't thought of her in a while.

Rachel opened the bar's official website, scrolled through a few publicity shots, then clicked on a page about the origins of the owner, one Mr Finn Hudson.

The way she was drooling over the photos of him, it was _definitely_ like Rachel was back in high school.

**Glee!**

"_He'll come around Berry, this is Finn we're talking about."_

_Rachel looked sadly at Puck, who had graciously agreed to pay her a visit, and instead of seeing a friend, she just saw a constant reminder of her infidelity. "No he won't Noah," she said firmly. "I know Finn better than he knows himself, and I've only just realised that he doesn't want anything to do with me."_

_Puck snorted. "Stop with all this self pitying crap 'cause it ain't flattering in the slightest."_

_Rachel glared at him. "Don't treat me like I'm some little child who's throwing a tantrum!" She stood up angrily, and as she looked at him, really_looked_at Puck, she felt a wave of fury ripple through her body. "I want you to leave. Don't come back, don't talk to me when we're at school, and just leave me alone; this is all your fault!"_

_She hadn't expected him to take it lying down, and on cue, Puck towered over her, breathing heavily. "Who the fuck do you think you are? In case you've forgotten princess, I was the one who called things off, so don't you dare blame this shit on me!"_

_Rachel's hand made contact with his face, and the noise was incredibly loud for a simple slap. Puck's head twisted to the side, and for a split second, she thought he was going to hit her back._

_But he didn't, of course he didn't. Instead, he laughed coldly as he shook his head. "No wonder Finn doesn't want anything to do with you; you're a freaking head case." He stormed out of her bedroom, slamming her door for good measure, and instead of guilt, all Rachel felt was a cold emptiness inside her chest._

**Glee!**

"So, you ready for this shit?" asked Puck, who straightened his tie and flexed his muscles in his tight suit. "I _love_ when you hold auditions 'cause it means I get to have a bit of the limelight for a change."

Finn grinned at his best friend as he finished buttoning up his jacket. "You're such a douche Puckerman."

"Say that to my face you pansy!" he snarled, though Finn simply rolled his eyes 'cause he wasn't in the mood for fucking around.

"You _know_ that everyone loves you. People are only interested in me because I do the hiring." He looked in the mirror and patted down a piece of hair. "Besides, you can have all the limelight you want if it means that they start asking _you_ if you're dating your step-brother."

Puck frowned for a second. "But I don't have a step-brother."

"I'm talking about Kurt," Finn said with another roll of his eyes. "Actually, that reminds me; him and Mercedes are travelling up for the night, and they're gonna stay at my place after they've performed a few songs."

Puck punched the air in victory. "That's what I'm talking about! I haven't seen my black chick in way too long! Might have to bust out a kickass duet with her for old time's sake."

"Mr Puckerman?" came the voice of a reporter from one of the various doors surrounding them, "could I talk to you before the official press conference? I'm with PlayGirl magazine."

The smirk on Puck's face was so dirty that Finn felt like he needed to wash his eyes out with soap. "I'll see you in a bit Hudson; save me a seat at the table." Puck followed the woman eagerly, leaving Finn to his thoughts.

He really didn't need to be thinking about Rachel Berry right now. In fact, he really didn't need to be thinking about her at any point in time because he'd moved on from all of that, from her and love and the thrill of performing.

Faithfully Bar though. Why the fuck did he ever stick with that?

_"You gotta be kidding me!" scoffed Puck. "Are you some kind of masochist Finn? Seriously, this is the shittiest idea I've ever heard."_

_"Then I'll find someone else to work on the bar 'cause I'm sure there are plenty of contractors who need the money." He ignored the curses and insults that his friend mumbled under his breath because it was Finn's bar, not Puck's._

_"Alright, look, just think this through. You went through hell with Berry, you tried to forget her, and now you wanna name your bar after your, like, signature duet?" Puck shook his head in disbelief. "I think you're being an idiot."_

_"And I think it's none of your business. Just get back to work."_

He'd had a proper reason in the beginning. Yeah, he and Rachel had sung Faithfully at Regionals together, but they'd also sung hundreds of other songs during their time in glee club, and just because they'd once stared into each other's hearts as they sang in perfect harmony did _not_ mean that the song was particularly special for him.

But seriously, who the hell was he kidding? Every single friend and family member that he'd told had come to the same conclusion; 'Didn't you sing that song with Rachel?' It was so obvious, but Finn just denied it every time because he liked the goddamn song.

These days he didn't even think about the name. When he heard the name Faithfully, it referred to his brand, his world, his place that he could feel at ease, and until the interviewer had asked that ridiculous question, he hadn't even thought about its relation to Rachel.

It wasn't just the name that was dedicated to her though. Unconscious of his decisions, or just not caring, Finn had been surrounding himself with memories of Rachel Berry, even though he hadn't spoken to her in years.

His secretary was called Janet. She was one of the least qualified for the job at the time, and why had he chosen her? Janet was the name of the character Rachel had played in their version of Rocky Horror. He still remembered the one (and only) time that Finn had lost his temper with her, and in the heat of his huge argument, he shouted "Damn it Janet, what do you have to say for yourself?" After that revelation, he gave her a raise and cried himself to sleep because he remembered singing about love and marriage and Rachel, and he hadn't even realised the connection with his secretary until then.

There were other things too, like the decoration of the bar (there were a few gold stars scattered around the walls) and the menu, which featured an impressive range of vegan options (including Quinn Fabray's famous banana bread, though it wasn't as delicious as Rachel's).

All this _crap_, all this stuff that he'd been doing so he could remember Rachel, and he hadn't even _noticed_; he could only imagine what Puck thought of all these stupid mementos.

Finn heard a few people calling his name, which meant that it was time for the madness to begin. In all honesty, auditions for a new staff member were the last thing he wanted right now. Katie, one of their best waitresses, had been forced to quit her job after some smoking-related illness affected her voice, and despite Finn constantly saying 'It's okay, we can survive with one less waitress', they'd been struggling without an extra pair of hands.

"Here we go," he whispered to himself as he stepped into the room filled with flashing lights and relentless questions.

**Glee!**

_"A bar? Well, I guess that's one thing to occupy yourself with until it all goes up in flames."_

_"Thanks Kurt, it's great to have such a supportive step-brother," muttered Finn as he threw back another shot of apple juice (so hard core). He felt a hand on his shoulder, and smiled at Quinn as she smiled back._

_"I think it's a great idea Finn," she said honestly, to which Kurt rolled his eyes while sipping at his white wine._

_"You don't know the first thing about bars," he said pointedly. "I'm not trying to be a buzz kill-"_

_"Doesn't sound like it!" said Puck, who flipped Kurt the finger when the smaller boy glared in his direction._

_"I'm not trying to be a buzz kill, despite what Mr Puckerman may believe." Kurt sighed, ran a hand along his perfectly styled hair, then patted Finn's arm softly. "I just don't want you to spend all of your money on something that may not prove to be a great investment. What's going to make your bar stand out from the countless others?"_

_Finn's eyes glistened as a proud grin spread across his face. "Every member of staff will get to sing to the guests, and one day, it'll be so popular that we'll be turning people away!"_

_Kurt didn't have anything to say to that because all he could think about was if he could pull off the bartender look._

**Glee!**

"My inspiration came from my high school Glee club," said the Finn that Rachel was watching on YouTube. "Even though we had a few teething problems, we were a family, and we had a lot of fun performing with each other."

She glanced at the time and let out a tiny scream of surprise; it was finally five o'clock! She turned on her TV, sat herself in front of it, and with a shaking hand, changed the channel to be greeted with a live feed of Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman; she had to stop herself from bursting into tears.

"Mr Hudson, is it true that you're holding open auditions for your bar after your last waitress had a heated relationship with Mr Puckerman?"

Rachel watched, entranced, as Noah snorted in protest. "I'll answer that one; I made out with Katie _once_, but that was before she worked at Faithfully."

Finn placed a hand on Noah's shoulder and gave him a small smirk that had Rachel's stomach doing somersaults. "I'll take it from here man." Finn turned to the cameras, and as his familiar eyes settled on her screen, Rachel let out an involuntary whimper. "I'm sorry to say that Katie Jenkins, a valued member of our team, was forced to resign after developing emphysema." He took a sip from his glass of water then smiled sadly. "I guess Katie's story is a reminder to all those people out there who smoke; she had to give up her dream job because it affected her health. Therefore, the allegations of the affair between her and Mr Puckerman are completely false."

Rachel was taken aback by Finn's eloquence. She still thought of him as the boy who had trouble saying the right thing, but it was easy to remember that he was older now, though his appearance had barely changed.

"But it _is_ true that you're holding auditions?"

Finn nodded with a grin. "It is indeed, though since we're pressed for time, it's going to be for one day only." There were a few gasps in the throng of journalists, and Rachel herself held her breath at the news. "Auditions will be held in a week's time here in New York. We're trying a different approach, and anyone interested needs to submit a thirty second clip of themselves singing a song of their choice onto our website tomorrow. We'll contact those who have made it onto our shortlist, and those lucky people will be asked to come down to Faithfully Bar to audition properly."

Rachel recorded the rest of the conference because she was unable to concentrate on anything else that was said; she _had_ to audition for that job. With a new determination that she hadn't felt in a long time, she set up her camera and tripod, mentally composing a list of the perfect songs to impress Finn Hudson.

**Glee!**

_Rachel pulled her suitcase along the empty sidewalk, aimlessly kicking any stones that were in her way. Of all the places and all the circumstances, she'd never considered that she'd be returning to Lima as a failure._

_Granted, it wasn't as if she'd had a choice about dropping out of college. Her daddy was ill, her dad was struggling with the responsibility, and when it came down to it, Rachel just wasn't the same girl that she'd once been. Somewhere in high school, the 'I'm Rachel Berry and I'm going to be a star' facade had disappeared, and all that was left was a friendless girl with little ambitions._

_She stood silently outside her house, and with a resigned sigh, she knocked on the door; so much for her metaphor._

**Glee!**

As the bar ran along smoothly without him, Finn decided to take a break in his office because he needed to get away from the noise and the laughter and the music that he so usually craved. After checking that no one was around, he locked himself in the small room with his desk and paperclips and other essentially grown-up concepts, and sunk into his chair with a sigh.

He had a lot of thinking to do, and the more he thought, the harder it became to keep a clear head. For whatever reason, Finn couldn't get a question out of his mind. Having been interviewed by hundreds of journalists, it was inevitable that the same questions would appear over and over again. His relationship status was the second most popular topic; his decision not to sing was number one with a bullet.

Why don't you perform at your bar, Finn? Why don't you perform when singing used to be your _life?_ Why don't you give them what they want? Because they want you, Finn, they want you to bare your heart to everyone, and what's wrong with that? Why don't you perform at your bar, Finn?

Why didn't he? There were a lot of things that he didn't do anymore, and did it really matter anyway? People said that they cared, but most of them just wanted the inside scoop (the inside scoop on Finn Hudson would be worth serious _fucking_money).

Puck was the only one who knew the truth, and that was pretty messed up, 'cause it was all to do with Rachel (but wasn't it always?).

_"Why don't you sing too dude? Even though you don't have my body and guns, I have to admit," Puck looked pained as he talked, which made Finn suspicious, "you've always been the best singer." Finn opened his mouth to which Puck snarled. "And don't fucking deny it because I'm not gonna compliment you again. Come on man, what happened?"_

_"Rachel," Finn said solemnly, and he could practically hear Puck wince. "After we graduated, I just stopped singing 'cause it reminded me too much of her." He glanced across at his best friend, who looked all kinds of awkward, and frowned. "You better not tell another soul, alright? It's no big deal, but you know how it is."_

_Puck nodded. "I know how it is. Sucks ass."_

_Finn laughed as he hung his head in his hands. "Yeah it does."_

Finn smiled to himself as the sound of Noah Puckerman's voice drifted through the air from the bar. He was a pretty decent singer, but that wasn't the sole reason for his popularity; it _probably_ had something to do with the strip teases and suggestive song choices.

Finn felt a sudden lump form in his throat. No, that was a lie; the lump had been there since the interview earlier that day, and it had slowly become more and more uncomfortable as he tried to ignore it. He couldn't ignore it any longer though, because the more he tried to forget, the more Finn realised that no matter how long ago, Rachel Berry was still the only girl who had some kind of effect on him.

He flicked through the songs on his iPod, and after pressing the headphones to his ears, Finn hummed along to the gentle chords of the guitar; he really needed to sing along to _something_.

_I drink good coffee every morning  
Comes from a place that's far away  
And when I'm done I feel like talking  
Without you here there is less to say_

_Don't want you thinking I'm unhappy  
What is closer to the truth  
Is that if I lived till I was a hundred and two  
I just dont think I'll ever get over you_

_I'm no longer moved to drink strong whiskey  
I shook the hand of time and I knew  
That if I lived till I could no longer climb my stairs  
I just dont think I'll ever get over you_

_Your face it dances and it haunts me  
Your laughter still ringing in my ears  
I still find peices of your prescence here  
Even after all these years_

_I don't want you thinking that I don't get asked to dinner  
'Cause I'm here to say that I sometimes do  
And even though I may soon feel the touch of love  
I just dont think I'll ever get over you_

_If I live till I was a hundred and two  
I just dont think I'll ever get over you_

Finn hung his head against his chair and gulped; he was rusty, and that was just singing along with his iPod. He cleared his throat, turned off the music, and headed back into the bar; at least it was something.

**Glee!**

"You two were amazing tonight," laughed Finn as he closed the doors for the night. Once he was sure that no one was hiding under one of the tables, he poured himself a glass of orange juice, complete with a cocktail umbrella.

"What can I say?" said Mercedes, wiggling her hips as she did a little shake on the spot, "I guess I miss the whole song and dance thing." She smiled over at Puck, who was grinning back at her, then shrugged. "It probably had something to do with Puck's arms too; I've always been a sucker for those arms."

"Oh _please_, let's not give him another ego boost," complained Kurt, who was fanning himself with a menu. "We were amazing because Kurt and Mercedes will never cease to be amazing."

Puck and Finn snorted in unison, though neither disagreed with the statement. "So, a toast to-" As Finn was about to raise his orange to their dysfunctional family of misfits, Quinn stumbled into the room with a hiccup and a giggle, and as her eyes focused on Puck, she let out an excited squeal.

"You were amaaaazinggg Pucky!" she sighed, dancing across the room to join them. Kurt cocked an eyebrow at Finn, who shrugged his shoulders with an amused grin. Quinn rarely drank after a couple of wine coolers had resulted in Beth, and even now, it was clear that she'd barely touched a drink (Quinn was a _terrible _drunk, and if she hadn't burst into a rendition of a Carrie Underwood song, then it meant she'd consumed two glasses of wine at the most).

Puck slung his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head as he smirked over at Finn. "What can I say babe? The Puckasaurus has still got it!"

"So Finn, you were going to toast to my talent no doubt?" prompted Kurt, and after a roll of his eyes in Puck's direction, Finn nodded and raised his glass in the air.

"To my friends, who mean the fucking world to me!" he shouted, spilling orange juice down his shirt.

"Hear hear!" called Mercedes with a laugh, and after a few brief embraces and last minute drinks, Faithfully Bar was closed for another night, and Finn hadn't thought about Rachel in hours.


	2. Chapter 2

**D: 'Lucky' belongs to Britney Spears.**

"Slow down Rachel, you're talking way too fast and I'm still half asleep," moaned the boy, whose eyes were heavy with exhaustion. "Finn's holding auditions?"

Rachel nodded vigorously as she took Sean's hand in her own, squeezing it tightly though he couldn't feel a thing. "I only have today to submit an audition video but I_have_ to give it a shot."

The large smile on her face made Sean frown. "Wow, I haven't seen _that_ in a while."

"I'm sorry?"

He raised his eyebrows and gave a tiny smirk. "Your smile, or at least, a real one."

Rachel blushed profusely, and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Well, it's an opportunity for stardom, and since I've come to realise that the Lima Theatre Guild is unlikely to bring me much recognition, I have a real-"

"It's Finn, isn't it?" interrupted Sean. "Come on, you're a great actress but it's pretty obvious. I thought you were done with him?"

Rachel let go of Sean's hand so she could wrap her arms around her body, hugging herself as she felt a cold tingle in her chest. "I honestly thought I was, Sean." With a tiny sigh, she looked over at her friend and bit her lip. "Has he called you recently?"

Rachel remembered, once upon a time, when that very question had caused Sean to kick her out of the house (well, with the aid of his girlfriend, who had never really approved of Rachel anyway). After high school, and after everyone had moved away to be happy and successful, she'd spent a lot of time in Sean's room, complaining about her life and job and Finn. Eventually, Sean asked her to give it up, because Finn had moved on, and she had to too.

He hadn't been exactly truthful though. Whenever she asked 'has he called recently?', he'd always say no, and if he accidentally let slip that Finn _had_ called, he was always sure to deny any mention of Rachel-related conversation; that was a lie too. At first, every phone call they shared was about Rachel, and whenever the phone rang, Sean knew that something had reminded Finn of his ex-girlfriend; 'saw a Barbra Streisand album on sale today', 'saw a store that specialised in vegan food today', 'say some leather boots like the ones she wore in her mash-up today'. Sean had tried to make Finn see sense, to make him see that he clearly wasn't over Rachel and that he should give her another chance, but _those_ types of conversation always ended in a mutter of 'gotta go, need to go do... I have to... can't believe she'd cheat on me'.

Seriously, do you know how infuriating it is to be in the middle of two star-crossed lovers? On the one side of Sean was Rachel, who was coping badly with a lack of Hudson in her life, and on the other side was Finn, who had managed to make something of himself, but who wasn't able to enjoy it with a lack of Berry in his life. Sometimes (most times), Sean just wanted to smack their heads together and yell 'you love each other, quit being idiots!'

Then Finn _did_ stop talking about her, and Sean knew never to bring her up again; it looked like he'd finally gotten over her. Rachel followed suit, and on her weekly visits, she never mentioned the F-word again.

Well, until today. Sean felt like he'd been taken back in time to a world where his best friends were in denial because Rachel was gushing over possible song choices that could impress Finn, and he could definitely feel a drama-related headache coming on (though that was probably because Celine, his girlfriend, kept checking up on him all the time, and he could tell she wanted Rachel gone).

"Has he called recently?" she asked again softly.

"Actually, he called last night."

Rachel stiffened. "Oh?" She smoothed out a crease in his bed sheets in an attempt to act aloof. "Did he have anything of interest to say?"

Sean bit back the need to tell her that no, her name hadn't come up, but he knew that she was fragile, and he didn't want to risk upsetting her. "He just wanted to ask my opinion on the press conference."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "So you already knew he was holding auditions, yet you didn't feel it necessary to inform me?"

"If I could hold up my hands in surrender, I would do," he said with a smirk, though Rachel shifted uncomfortably. "Look, yes, he told me, but I thought the job would be beneath you Rachel." He raised his eyebrows again. "You really think you'd be happy as a waitress? Sure, you get to sing, but you also get to wait on people and clean up their mess and work long hours and-"

"Contrary to popular belief, I _have_ been in a bar before, thank you very much," she huffed, folding her arms.

This elicited a chuckle from Sean. "You still haven't answered my question."

"I think I would," she said quietly. She avoided Sean's inquisitive gaze, and instead watched a bird that was sitting outside of his bedroom window. "You know that I'm miserable here, and this is my second chance at making amends, not just with Finn, but with everyone I used to know." As the bird sung a happy song before flying into the sky, Rachel looked sadly at Sean, and took his hand again. "There are two things holding me back though."

"Your dads will understand," he said with a nod.

A single tear ran down Rachel's cheek. "The first is my parents, who have been incredibly supportive over the past few years, but who will be glad to see me pursue a new career." She gulped. "The second is my best friend, who I don't visit enough as it is. If I live in New York, I'll barely see you Sean, and I don't know if I can do that."

Sean's expression softened, and he wished he could stroke her hair, her face, anything. "There's this magic thing called a telephone you know."

Rachel playfully rolled her eyes and blew her nose on a tissue. "It won't be the same."

"No, it won't," he replied, "but it'll be just as good, and I'll be happy knowing you're happy." He lowered his voice, and Rachel leaned in to listen to him. "Also, I think Celine will be pretty pleased."

They both shared a quiet laugh, and Rachel felt her chest warm with Sean's words. "Would you help me pick out a song?"

"Sure, and even better, you've got the whole day to sing it to me until it's perfect."

**Glee!**

"You looking forward to this?"

Finn rubbed his eyes and glanced at Puck, who was putting away some of the glasses in the bar. "What?"

"Dude, are you even awake today? Seriously, man the fuck up and embrace this stuff!" Puck muttered something under his breath, while Finn simply looked confused.

"What the hell's up with you?" he asked groggily; he wasn't in the mood for Puck today.

"Nothing; you're the one who's got his panties in a twist." He stopped what he was doing so he could glare at his friend. "Yeah, you don't wanna hire another waitress or waiter, whatever, I get it, but you gotta do this."

Finn groaned as he rested his head against the bar; he was so tempted to just fall asleep and forget about the rest of the day. "I'm not bothered about it actually, I'm just tired."

"S'up?"

Finn sighed. "I dreamt about... about Rachel." Instead of a condoling pat on the back, all he got from Puck was a low whistle and a dirty grin. "What's that for?"

Puck wiggled his eyebrows. "Come on, we're bros, you can tell me _exactly_ what happened. Was she good in the sack?"

Finn rubbed his eyes again; note to self, Puckerman equals asshole.

**Glee!**

The rest of the day went by without any problems, and though Puck kept pestering Finn to take a look at some of the auditions that had been sent in, Finn refused to think about it until the bar was closed for the night. Since it was a Sunday, closing time came around a little too early for Finn's liking, and before he knew it, he was sitting in front of his computer, surrounded by Puck, Quinn, Mercedes and Kurt.

"This is extremely exciting," gushed Kurt, who was close to knocking Finn out of the way so he could be in control of the mouse. "I was tempted to submit my own video, but I think I prefer impromptu performances that don't involve waiting on some of the biggest names in the world."

"Kurt, are you forced to yell in my ear? You're not really helping my headache," muttered Finn. He heard Kurt scoff to himself, then felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be fine Finn," said Quinn soothingly. "There'll probably only be a few videos to watch, so it won't take all night."

Finn smiled at her and nodded; yeah, she was probably right. Sure, there was a lot of hype associated with his bar, but when it came down to it, how many people actually wanted to work there?

A message appeared on the screen that made Finn's stomach twist. "Fuck. Ing. Hell."

"What is it?" asked Mercedes with concern. She peered over Finn's shoulder and nearly fell over in shock. "Is that for serious?"

"How many?"

Finn looked at Puck, all colour gone from his face. "Eight hundred."

Puck snorted. "Please, that's pathetic! There should have been-"

"Thousand."

"What?"

Finn took a deep breath. "Nearly eight hundred thousand."

"Well, no time like the present!" said Kurt in a sing-song voice. "Everyone needs to grab their laptops, macbooks, and iPads because we each have a hundred and sixty thousand videos to watch." He ignored the queasy looks on the faces of his friends, and instead made a few calculations in his head. "Each video lasts for thirty seconds, so divided by that and divided by the other one..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "It would only take us about eight weeks each, without any sleep, to watch them all." He frowned to himself, double checking the figures. "Wait, is that right?"

"Who cares?" moaned Puck. "We don't have to watch them all. If we split 'em all up, we can just watch a load, make note of the ones that are decent, and then give up whenever we want, right?"

"That's not really fair to those who submitted them earlier on though..." said Quinn, trailing off into thought.

"How about we just choose them randomly?" offered Mercedes.

"Look, look, wait a second." Everyone stared at Finn, who looked as if he was going to pass out. "Who says we need to hire someone new anyway? I'm sure we can do without..."

"Like I said; laptops, macbooks and iPads!" Following Kurt's lead, Quinn, Mercedes and Puck sorted themselves out while Finn sat motionless in his seat, trying to think of a way out of the situation; maybe he could start waiting on people himself?

"Okay, here's how it's gonna roll," said Puck, handing out pieces of paper to the four of them. "Watch whichever ones you want, it doesn't fuckin' matter, and if they're shit, delete 'em." Quinn rolled her eyes and was about to protest, but Puck pressed a finger to her lips. "We ain't got time for your bitchin' so let's just do this. If you think someone's good, write their name down." He typed something into his laptop then nodded. "Alright, I've made a new folder on the server. If you like them, move the video to this folder too; you follow Mercedes?"

"Please, I'm already watching my first one."

And so it began. Headphones in and coffee in every hand, Puck, Quinn, Kurt and Mercedes got to work sifting through the audition videos, occasionally laughing or cheering at the applicants.

Finn didn't watch any since he was so tired. Even if Puck thought it wasn't a big deal, having a dream about Rachel... well, it was a big deal, alright? Also, he kind of wished that it _had_ been some sleazy sex dream.

He'd been in a barn, which was a little odd, but he'd been sitting on a bundle of hay, watching some chickens pecking at the ground, when Rachel had appeared. She'd been covered in blood and bruises, and as she gave this tiny little wave, she just _fell_, and she was bleeding from _everywhere,_and all Finn could do was watch because she wasn't his responsibility anymore, and hadn't been for...

Wow, had it really been six years since they'd dated?

Either way, the dream had fucked with his head. He couldn't stop thinking of the connotations of it all, and okay, he _may_ have broken down with sobs when he remembered how broken and hurt Rachel had been, even if it was all in his head.

On top of all that, this audition stuff was already stressing him out. The full day had been spent politely declining rumours about the selection process, rejecting calls from 'influential people' who kept trying to bribe him into hiring their relatives, and a bunch of other things that had just added to his migraine.

"Finn Hudson, the longer you stare into space, the longer it's going to take to watch them all," said Kurt suddenly, making Finn jump. "Puckerman told me that you dreamt about Rachel last night; is that what's bothering you?"

Finn looked mortified. "God, can I never have any secrets? Yeah, so what, I dreamt about her, no big deal."

Kurt pursed his lips and patted Finn's arm. "You know I'm always here if you need to talk, okay?"

Finn sighed, then pulled his step-brother in for a hug. "Thanks man." He let go, to which Kurt stumbled back a little and returned to his iPad, a flustered grin on his face. "Right, okay, I can do this," Finn whispered to himself. He took a deep breath, scrolled up and down the _seven hundred and eight nine thousand_ videos, and with his eyes closed, he randomly selected an entry; he had to start somewhere, right?

He stuck his headphones into the computer, adjusted the volume, then hesitantly pressed play, making himself comfy in his chair. The video began, and with his eyes barely open from exhaustion, Finn watched the back of a small girl, who seemed to be preparing herself. It was surreal to think that so many people wanted to be part of his staff, wasn't it? Like, he'd set Faithfully up from nothing, and now here he was, about to change the life of one lucky person.

The girl turned around, but Finn didn't notice since his eyes were closed (he couldn't be bothered to fight it anymore). Besides, it didn't matter what she looked like, so long as she could sing pretty decently.

"_My name is Rachel Berry, and I'll be singing Lucky."_

Finn's eyes snapped open, and as a very familiar voice filled his ears, and as he felt his whole body respond to the sound that he used to love more than anything in the entire world, he ripped his headphones away.

"No fucking way."

Quinn looked cautiously in his direction, and stopped the video that she'd been listening to. "Is everything okay Finn?"

"No. Fucking hell, I can't..." He stood up and pushed his chair away while pulling tightly on his hair. "_Fuck_."

Everyone stopped what they were doing; Finn didn't usually curse so strongly, and it was more than obvious that something had spooked him.

"Finn, if the song's not to your taste, there's no need to be such a baby about it," scolded Kurt. He set down his iPad and sat himself in front of Finn's computer before gasping in denial. "Where did you get this?"

"Where the hell do you think? I don't keep videos of my ex-girlfriend on here."

Quinn covered her mouth in surprise while Mercedes pressed a hand to her head; Puck just looked bemused. "Come on then, let's see it!"

Finn glared at him in horror. "What's wrong with you? Why do you wanna watch it?"

"Because Berry has got some pipes on her, and she might be even better with age!" Puck pushed Kurt out of the way and started the video from the beginning.

"_My name is Rachel Berry and I'll be singing Lucky."_

The video was stopped again as Finn practically threw Puck out of his chair. "I don't give a damn if she's a good singer, she's not working here!"

"Finn, calm down-" began Kurt.

"Calm down? Fucking hell Kurt, do you know who that is?" He pointed angrily at the screen, though he couldn't bring himself to look at her. "That's the girl who broke my heart! That's the girl who told me she loved me then kissed Puck to make me feel shitty about myself! That's the girl-"

"Who we all used to like!" yelled Puck, cutting Finn off. "Alright, so we never really told her that, but I know for a _fact_ that we all used to like her." His jaw was clenched in aggravation and his hands were rolled into fists that shook now and again. "You might have dated her, but she hurt us too." Puck looked to Kurt for guidance. "Right?"

Kurt nodded solemnly. "You weren't the only one she pushed away. We all tried hard to be her friend Finn, and she did everything in her power to alienate herself from us."

Finn snorted, throwing his hands in the air. "Oh, sure, because I remember that everyone was so _desperate_to be nice to her, even though you all made her life hell. What was it that _she_ said? Something about everyone just pretending to like her." Though Finn didn't mention the girl's name, they all flinched; they knew exactly who he was talking about. "You trying to say you cared more for her than I ever did?"

"No," added Quinn. "We're just reminding you that you're not the only one who was hurt by her, that's all." She took a few careful steps towards him, and with a concerned frown, she stood on the tips of her toes so that she could hug Finn tightly. "It's okay to be upset."

Finn submitted to her embrace for a few seconds before he pushed her away coldly. "Then why do you want to watch her video?"

"Because this could be her second chance," said Mercedes softly. All her eyes were suddenly on her, and she gave a slight shrug. "We all deserve the chance to make things right, and obviously Rachel's asking for that chance." She glanced around at her four friends and shrugged again. "I'm sure she hasn't forgotten how she treated us, and she obviously wants to try and sort everything out; the least we can do is give her the opportunity."

Before Finn could protest, Puck pressed play.

"_This is a story about a girl named Lucky…"_

"No, we can't watch this."

"Shut the hell up Hudson."

"_Early morning, she wakes up  
Knock, knock, knock on the door  
It's time for makeup, perfect smile  
It's you they're all waiting for  
They go 'Isn't she lovely, this Hollywood girl?'  
And they say she's so lucky, she's a star  
But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking  
If there's nothing missing in my life  
Then why do these tears come at night?_

_Thank you."_

The video stopped, and silence filled the room for a full two minutes before Puck laughed out loud. "Damn, I forgot that chick could sing!"

"Perfect song choice," said Kurt with an approving nod. "Ms Britney Spears always works, but this song is particularly poignant for Rachel."

"I really like what she's wearing," added Quinn.

Mercedes smiled. "Me too, and I think she's done something different with her hair."

"What did you think Finn?" asked Kurt cautiously. His step-brother was still silently standing, still pulling at his hair. "Finn?"

"I think I'm going to throw up. Just... just delete the video and I'll look through the others tomorrow." He shuffled out of his office, pretty sure that he was just going to fall dead on the floor, when someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Hell no you won't."

Finn turned around and glared at Puck; this idiot always had to mess with him. "In case you haven't realised, I'm the owner of this goddamn bar, and you're just the douche that works for me. Let go of my shoulder."

Puck loosened his grip, though didn't let go altogether. "Calm down dude, please, you're upsetting the girls."

Quinn looked to Mercedes awkwardly. "Erm, no he's not."

"Shit Quinn, you're supposed to start crying so he feels bad and stops acting like a total ass."

"You have to hire her," said Kurt firmly.

Finn's eyes widened at his demand. "Kurt, are you-"

"Yes, I'm extremely serious, and no, I'm not on any illegal substances, nor am I drunk." He folded his arms, keeping his expression calm. "You loved Rachel, she loved you, mistakes were made, and now you've got the chance to redeem yourself."

"You're so fucking hilarious," sneered Finn. "_Me_ redeem myself? I wasn't the one that screwed her over-"

"But _you_ were the one who pushed her away, who refused to forgive her, who forced her to become ruthless and lonely!" Finn was taken aback; Kurt rarely raised his voice. "You're even more stubborn than she is, because at least she's made the effort to do something about the two of you! You're just too narrow-minded to see that!"

Finn opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it. "So you think I should just forget about every other hopeful applicant who applied, all seven hundred and however many thousand, just because there's this girl that we once happened to know? Tell me, how is that fair?"

Kurt laughed, but it made Finn feel sick because it wasn't a nice, joyful laugh, but more of a 'you're absolutely ridiculous' laugh. "Well, if you think Rachel Berry's just 'this girl we once happened to know', then do whatever you want Finn, you've already made it perfectly clear that the bar's all yours. Mercedes, we'll stay in a hotel tonight." He gathered up his possessions in silence while Finn said nothing; he wasn't really sure _what_ to say.

"Don't be silly, you two can stay with me tonight," said Quinn quietly. As Kurt left the office with Mercedes close behind, Quinn looked like she wanted to say something to Finn, but thought better of it and left, offering a sad smile to Puck. "Night."

"Night Q, sleep well."

And then there were two. Puck eased himself into one of the chairs with a grunt, and after turning off his laptop, he yawned. "Dude, most of these people suck ass." At Finn's incredulous glare, he simply shrugged. "What? I'm just telling you the truth. I didn't put any videos in the awesome folder, and neither did the other three. I think it's pretty obvious what you need to do, so there's no point looking at the rest."

Finn sat in the seat next to him and hung his head in his hands. "You really think I should do this?" he mumbled.

"Yeah, I do, and I'm not just saying that so I don't piss off Hummel." Puck stretched out his legs and rubbed the back of his neck; working pains _sucked._"What did you name the bar?"

Finn looked up hesitantly. "What?"

"What's the name of your bar, the one you made into a fucking success?"

Finn snorted. "Is everyone high tonight? I-"

"_What did you name it?"_

"Faithfully! Faithfully Faithfully Faithfully!" Finn stood up and kicked his chair away, a habit he thought he'd outgrown with high school. "What's your point?"

Puck stood up to meet his eyes, though he was still shorter than his best friend. "Why did you call it that? And didn't give me all that shit about liking the song, because if that was true, you could have chosen a hundred other names." He grabbed Finn's shoulders and squeezed him tightly. "Why did you call it that?"

"Because of Rachel!" yelled Finn, catching himself off guard. He ignored the smug smile on Puck's lips because he had a load of other stuff to deal with, and he didn't really want to think about what he was getting at. "Alright, God, I admit it, but what do you want me to do? She hurt me."

"Yeah, and you hurt her too." Puck let go of Finn and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I ain't no saint, but I've learnt this the hard way; the past is the past. So you both screwed up? Big deal. We were kids Finn, and we've grown up since then." With a small smile, he headed for the door. "I think you need to prove that to her, _and_to you. See you tomorrow dickhead."

Finn somehow managed a noise that resembled a laugh and a curse, and as he was left alone in his office, he sat himself in front of his computer; he had to do this diplomatically, regardless of what everyone else said. He clicked on a random video, watched while some average girl introduced herself, then listened as her just-as-average voice sung some kind of Miley Cyrus song.

Probably just a fluke. Finn opened another one that included some average guy with a just-as-average voice who sung some kind of Justin Bieber song.

Yeah, probably just another fluke.

Twenty videos in and Finn was left severely disappointed. Maybe these people were good. Like, maybe if Simon Cowell had been sitting next to him, he would have said 'you have star potential' in his weird British accent, and then they might have gone on to win American Idol or America's Got Talent or some shitty show like that. Maybe these people were really good, and maybe they were going to be bigger than everyone else in the future, and maybe people were going to compare them to The Beatles and Queen and Journey some day. Maybe these people _were_ good, and maybe Finn couldn't hear that because he kept comparing them to the girl that had first impressed him in high school with her crazy eyes and her crazy talent.

It was pretty ironic, really. Here was Finn, this mega popular musical bar owner, and the two things associated with Faithfully, singing and alcohol, were two things he avoided. The singing was down to Rachel, 'cause having duets with other people was never the same after singing with her. The alcohol? He wasn't really sure why he didn't drink. Part of it was a fear that he'd become an alcoholic or something, especially since he had beer on tap. Still, it was before Faithfully that he'd given drink up all together, and actually, when he thought about it, Finn knew exactly why he'd given up alcohol; drinking implied a good time. After high school, he just, kind of,_existed_, and if he drank, he'd have too much fun. Yeah, that was probably the reason.

Now though, he was tempted for the first time in years to pour himself a drink, simply because it felt like the appropriate thing to do (or to light up a cigarette, but he'd never tried smoking and he didn't want to start now). He walked into the bar, which was peaceful and silent now that he was alone, and with a sigh, he grabbed himself a glass of apple juice and a straw; whatever, he loved apple juice.

Back at his desk, his drink by his side, Finn steadied his breathing because he had to watch her again; that was the only way he'd know what to do next. With a shaking finger, he pressed play, and there she was, there she fucking was, the girl he once knew.

"_My name is Rachel Berry and I'll be singing Lucky."_

He was surprised by how much she'd changed, and yet how she'd stayed exactly the same. She looked slightly older, that was a given, and her clothes were more updated and fashionable (was it wrong that he missed her old style?), and her hair was shorter with a little more style cut into it, but apart from that, she was still the Rachel Berry he remembered.

Except she wasn't. Though the camera wasn't zoomed in very far, the first thing Finn had noticed was her eyes; they looked soulless. Maybe it was the lighting, maybe it was a bad quality video, or maybe she'd suffered after all.

The song went by in a blur, and Finn had to watch it seven times before he even heard the lyrics; all he could hear was her broken heart, and a silent plea for forgiveness and acknowledgment.

Why the fuck was Kurt always right? Rachel had to be their new waitress.

**Glee!**

Rachel couldn't sleep. She looked at her clock and groaned out loud because it was twenty past two in the morning, and she'd tried to get to sleep at eleven. It wasn't surprising really. It had taken all the courage she'd had to send her audition video, and after that, she'd compulsively checked her email every ten minutes, just in case she was accepted on the spot.

Still, the more she thought about it, the more unlikely that scenario was. Faithfully was such a huge name, so surely hundreds, no, _thousands_ of people had auditioned? And going through each video would take time and thought and before she knew it, she was in bed, wondering if she should have chosen a different song.

Regardless, she couldn't sleep. She was so hyped up from her day practicing with Sean (who had been a brilliant vocal coach, might she add) that she felt like she could stay awake all night long; it looked like she was going to too.

Her cell phone began to ring, and though she was already wide awake, she almost screamed at the noise; she'd become used to the silence around her. She checked her clock, just to make sure that it was indeed nearly half past two in the morning, and with a frown, she picked up her cell and looked at the number on her screen; she didn't recognise it. Maybe there was a problem with Sean, and Celine was calling her from the hospital?

"Hello?" she whispered, her heart racing uncomfortably in her chest. Nothing but silence replied. "Hello, who is this? Is everything okay? Please, is-"

"_Rach?"_

Rachel's whole body froze, and for a moment, all she could hear was the thick pounding of blood in her ears. No, it couldn't be, it _couldn't_ be...

"_Rachel, um, are you there? This is Finn... Finn Hudson?"_

He said his name like she expected him to forget it, and Rachel had to hold herself together. "Finn... Hi."

"_Hi. Er, look, I know it's really late, or early, or yeah, an inappropriate time, but your audition video..."_

No. No no no. He was calling to tell her to leave him alone, to forget he ever existed. "Please-"

"_We're supposed to call down a few of the applicants so they can audition in person, but well, there's no one else that I liked, and you're an amazing singer, so the job's yours. You know, if you want it."_

Oh.

"_You... you still there?"_

"Yes Finn."

"_Oh, cool. Right, call me tomorrow on this number when you're properly awake and we can um... we can sort things out before you come to New York. Congrats and um... stuff."_

"Finn?" she breathed.

"_Yeah?"_

"Thank you. I don't... Just thanks, really." Her heart skipped a beat when she heard him chuckle; she'd missed that sound.

"_S'alright. Talk to you tomorrow... today, whatever. Night Rachel."_

...holy-


	3. Chapter 3

**D: 'Arms of a Woman' ****belongs to Amos Lee**.

He slept, on and off, for just over an hour that night, and when he woke up, Finn wondered if it had been some elaborate dream that had messed with his head and had stirred up a bunch of old crap that he'd thought he'd put behind him.

"Hey sweetie, how about some breakfast in bed?"

Finn groaned and pushed his face into his pillow. "Ggt lsst jckkss."

Puck rolled his eyes as he set a bag of McDonald's food on Finn's dresser and pulled the pillow out from under his head. "And in English?"

"Get lost jackass." Finn sat up groggily and massaged his temple with a yawn and a shudder. "What time is it, and how did you get in?"

"I stole your spare key a few months back, and it's quarter to eight." At the utter outrage on Finn's face, Puck snorted. "Yeah, tell me about it, but Hummel wants to know what you're doing about Berry, and Quinn wants to know if you're planning on acting like a moody little shit all day, and-"

"I hired her."

Puck's eyes widened. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!"

Finn didn't understand Puck at the best of times, but since it was ridiculously early, he made even less sense. "You were the one who told me to!" He glanced sheepishly over at the bag of food, wondering if it was for him.

"Yeah, but you're a chicken and I didn't think you'd actually go through with it!" He opened the bag and handed Finn a warm parcel. "Sausage, egg and cheese McGriddle; you owe me one."

Finn practically drooled as he took in the delicious smell; God, he hadn't had one of these in _forever_. "You wanna half it?" he asked begrudgingly.

"Nah, I've already eaten, and it's sausage anyway."

Finn took a huge, grateful bite, and once Puck had stopped him from choking to death with a few impressive, painful slaps on the back, he pulled a face (which was only partly related to the fact that he'd almost died on a fucking McGriddle). "Seriously, you're pulling the kosher thing on me? What about last week when Quinn made that awesome pork dish? You ate most of it, _and_ you licked the plate clean."

"Yeah well, that was for Quinn; couldn't be unsupportive could I? Anyway, hurry up and eat 'cause I wanna know everything about what you and Berry said."

Finn narrowed his eyes. "You're asking for the dirty gossip?"

"Hell yeah!" said Puck with a smirk. "Come on Hudson, tell me _exactly_ how it played out. Was she happy to hear from you? Did she sound emotional? Oh snap, she cried, didn't she?"

Finn swallowed the rest of his food, and with a sigh and a laugh, he pulled himself out of bed, grunting at the ache in his back. "When the hell did we turn into girls?" He grinned at Puck. "You really wanna know what happened?"

"Of course."

Finn wiggled his eyebrows before winking. "You're gonna have to buy me dinner first."

**Glee!**

Rachel stood on Sean's doorstep, her whole body shaking with the extent of her excitement; she literally couldn't _wait_ to tell him the good news! Her dads had already heard about her endeavour over the phone, and both had had the courtesy not to question her when Finn's name was brought up several times in the conversation. She couldn't tell Sean by phone though; she _had_ to see his face when she told him the news.

Rachel pressed again on the doorbell, and grimaced slightly; Celine wouldn't be pleased that she was back again, especially so early in the morning.

"_Good morning Sean!" sung Rachel. Once his carer had left her to it, she took her usual spot by the side of his bed before engaging herself in the ritual of taking his hand and pressing it to her cheek, both for his sake and hers._

"_Hey Rachel," he chuckled. "How is Miss Berry today?"_

_She shrugged as she placed his hand back on the bed. "I'm okay I suppose. George turned up to rehearsal with_the_most ridiculous hairstyle I have_ ever_seen, and when I tried to inform his of his terrible choice of cut, he seemed reluctant to listen to my opinion!" She sighed dramatically, to which Sean laughed. "Honestly, I don't think the world is ready for Rachel Berry, but I'm getting there slowly. How are you?"_

"_Sean, who is this?"_

_Both Sean and Rachel looked to the door of his bedroom, and with a gulp and a grin, Sean cleared his throat. "Rachel, this is Celine, my girlfriend."_

_Rachel jumped up out of her seat, and with a genuine smile that couldn't be falsified, she stuck out her hand warmly. "Rachel Barbra Berry, nice to meet you!"_

_Celine wrinkled her nose and didn't take her hand straight away. "Rachel Berry? Didn't you used to date Jesse St James?"_

_Rachel blanched, her tiny framing shaking. She looked to Sean for support, and she had a feeling that if he'd been able to shrug, he would have done so. "Erm, yes, a long time ago..."_

"_I was in Vocal Adrenaline, though I doubt you remember me. I was the fifth person to throw an egg at you."_

_The smarmy smirk on Celine's lips made Rachel's stomach twist. "Oh, it's nice to finally meet you."_

_Bitch._

Since that day, Celine had never really taken to Rachel. Maybe it was because she spent so much time with Sean, or maybe it was because Rachel was undoubtedly more talented than her. Whatever the reason, they didn't see eye to eye, and it didn't look that was going to change anytime soon, especially when she called for Sean so early in the morning.

The front door opened, and with a growl, Celine rolled her eyes. "Berry, what are _you_ doing here? You spent the whole of the day with my boyfriend, and now you're back for more?"

Rachel held out a pretty bunch of flowers with an apologetic smile. "I won't be here for long, and it's rather quite important if it's all the same to you. Can I come in?"

The blonde girl muttered something under her breath as she reluctantly let Rachel inside, though she smiled a little at the flowers. "Fine, you have an hour at the most since I'm taking Sean to see the ballet today and I need to get him ready."

"Of course, thank you Celine." Rachel smiled again at the girl before shyly making her way into Sean's bedroom, trying to hide the glee from her face (no pun intended). "Good morning," she said in a half whisper. Sean, who looked half asleep, simply smiled at her with a nod. "Sorry to call so early, but I... I need a shoulder to cry on right now."

Sean looked pained as he sighed and shook his head. "It's okay Rachel, you're better than a waitressing job anyway."

Rachel crossed her arms and stuck out her lip in a playful pout, her foot tapping on the floor. "Oh, is that so? I _was_going to say that I wanted to cry happy tears on your shoulder since I've been chosen out of, no doubt, thousands of applicants, and that even though a waitressing position may be a downgrade from my role as understudy in our current performance of Hairspray, it's an opportunity for stardom that will more than likely result in a future on Broadway, where I'll be loved and celebrated for my extraordinary talent and my larger than life persona." She took a deep breath. "Instead though, you could just congratulate me?"

"Congratulations!" Sean cheered, though it was easy to spot the falseness in his voice. "I knew they'd love you."

Rachel sat beside him and fiddled with the fabric of her skirt. She needed Sean to be happy for her, because in order for her new position to work, she needed his approval or she wasn't going to do it at all. "Please don't lie to me," she said in barely more than a whisper. "You're my best friend, and if you can't be honest about this, then how can I expect anyone else to be?"

Sean let out a low sigh. "Take my hand," he said quietly. Once he could see his fingers clasped in hers, he continued. "I'm really happy for you, I promise, but Rachel..." He trailed off, lost for words (which was a rarity in itself).

"Yes?"

He sighed again and pursed his lips. "You're not going to want to hear this, but you're right, I need to be honest... Why are you doing this?"

Rachel looked a little startled, and gave a nervous laugh as a reflex. "Why? Everyone in America has heard of Faithfully, and the hype over this job has been so amazing, and-"

"No," Sean said firmly, "why are _you_ doing this?"

Rachel shook her head, and with a hurt voice, she whispered, "I don't understand what you're trying to say, Sean."

"You didn't want the job because of the fame since this wasn't the only opportunity in the whole wide world that suited your ability. You could have auditioned for that High School Musical spin-off movie in L.A, you could have entered American Idol for the past four years and won, and hell, you could have dedicated your life to a Rachel Berry YouTube channel so that Ellen DeGeneres would discover you and ask you to perform on her show." He cocked his head with a brief smile, though only because he didn't want it to seem like he was lecturing her. "You auditioned for this job because of one thing, Rachel, and you need to be able to admit that... It's Finn."

Rachel felt her lip wobble in submission; of course he was right. "And what if it is?" she asked shakily. "Was that a deciding factor? Yes. Would I have auditioned if a stranger owned the bar? Probably not. Does it make a difference?"

"Yes, of course it does." Sean's furrowed his brow in frustration. "Look, you don't want to hear this, either, but-"

"Then don't tell me." Rachel let go of his hand and jumped out of her seat. She ran her hands through her hair as she paced up and down the room, her gaze deliberately avoiding Sean's. "I don't want to know, I don't-"

"You want to fall in love with him again."

Rachel's eyes widened. "That's ridiculous!"

"But it's still true! You think that if you work for Finn, you're going to fall in love with him, and he's going to fall in love with you, and everything will be perfect." Sean gritted his teeth; this was possibly Rachel's final day in Lima, and the last thing he wanted was for her to leave in anger, because she really was his best friend. Despite this though, she needed to hear the truth, no matter how hard it was going to be. "But this is real life, Rachel, and in real life, these fairytale endings don't happen." He sighed and shook his head sadly. "You're not a princess, Finn's not a prince, and his bar definitely isn't a castle surrounded by animals and streams and happy, singing peasants."

He waited for the waterworks. Rachel was a passionate, emotional person, which definitely wasn't a bad thing, but her tears always had a strange impact on him, and he wasn't sure if he could face them today.

She didn't cry though. Instead, she stomped her foot on the floor in an adorably childlike fashion and glared at him. "This is about me, Sean, and what I want from life. I... I know we never talk about it, but I made mistakes in high school, and this is my chance to rectify them." She wiped her eyes on the back of her hands, and though there were no tears to brush away, she was on the verge of breaking down on his bed. "I admit it, okay? In the back of my mind is the hope that _something_develops between Finn and I, and if something romantic _were_ to happen, I wouldn't stop it." She held her head high in the air. "But I'm Rachel Barbra Berry, and I'm no longer obsessed with being in love. If it happens, it happens, and who knows, maybe I'll fall madly in love with one of the bartenders instead." She smiled to signal that they were okay, her and Sean, and that she appreciated his honesty. "I just need to sort things out, because I have a _lot_ of skeletons in my closet, and I need to lay them to rest, so to speak; I promise I didn't kill anyone while I was at McKinley." She giggled slightly, and the noise harmonised perfectly with Sean's deep rumble of a laugh.

"I'm going to miss you," he said shakily, and only then did Rachel feel tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm going to miss you too."

**Glee!**

"And that's _it?"_ asked Kurt incredulously.

Finn pulled a face. "Well, yeah, what else was I supposed to say? It was half two in the morning or something, and in case you haven't realised Kurt, I haven't spoken to her in four years..."

Kurt sighed as he ran a finger along his perfectly maintained hair. "I suppose you were civilised about it though, which is something of a miracle." Mercedes laughed under her breath while Kurt looked up at the ceiling in concentration. The two of them had only planned to stay for the one night, and yet here they were, day three, still sitting in Finn's bar. His step-brother had apologised for his despicable behaviour the evening before, and since Rachel was due to arrive in New York, Kurt had decided that a week-long visit would be beneficial. Wait a second...

"Finn, do you know when her flight will arrive?"

Finn shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Not exactly."

"And why not?"

"Because I don't know if she's even coming..."

Kurt threw his hands in the air. "God Finn, how hard is it for you to get yourself together? Haven't you called her yet?"

"No, I haven't," he snapped defensively, wincing a little at the volume of Kurt's voice (he was suffering from an apple juice hangover apparently). "I asked her to call me today, and yeah, she hasn't so far, so I don't wanna seem desperate."

Kurt held his breath with frustration, giving Mercedes time to interject. "Look, how about you call her, and me and Kurt can go check up on Puck and Quinn?" She took Kurt's hand and hurried out of the room, nodding at Finn's thankful smile.

Man, this was ridiculous! Rachel used to be all punctual and stuff, right? So why had she not called yet? It was already half eight in the morning, and Finn was pretty sure that she used to wake up at six every day.

He didn't want to call her though. He'd already asked her to contact him, and if he pestered her, it looked like he was super desperate for her to work for him...

...which he totally wasn't, okay?

But had he actually told her to call? It had been so early, and he'd been so conflicted, that maybe _he'd_ said he'd call first, and maybe _she_ was waiting for him? What if she thought it was some cruel, practical joke, and what if, with every second that passed by, she hated Finn more and more?

His stomach growled at the same time as his throat; he was feeling like crap, and that McGriddle didn't seem like such a good idea after all.

**Glee!**

Sitting by her phone, Rachel glanced at her watch for the tenth time that morning. How was it so hard to make one silly little phone call?

Oh, of course, this phone call was going to change her life, and on the other end was the boy (man, he wasn't a boy anymore) who she used to love with every fibre of her being; no pressure.

She pressed her cell phone to her ear, waiting for the ringing to begin.

She put it down before it even got close to that.

"Come on Rachel, stop being so infantile," she hissed to herself. "This is make or break time, and you don't have to make the conversation particularly long or elaborate. All you need to know is when he wants you travel up to New York for the biggest opportunity of your life." She sighed and resorted to nervously twirling her hair around her fingers. "Get a grip." She picked up her cell once more, pressed call, then cautiously held it to her ear. It was ringing. And ringing. And ringing.

She put it down; maybe it wasn't meant to be after all.

**Glee!**

Finn felt like his knees were going to give in, and he was pretty sure he was going to fall flat on his face.

"Come on dude, stop screwin' around and sing the damn thing!" barked Puck.

Quinn looked across at him sharply. "Do you realise how hard this is for him?" She slapped him playfully across the back of his head before she smiled at Finn. "We'll wait as long as we need to."

Finn smiled gratefully, and taking the microphone in his hands, he let out a breathy sigh. "Okay, I don't know if I can do this, but here goes, my um... my very first performance since Nationals." He nodded at Kurt, who turned on the backing track, and with a quick prayer to all kinds of gods, Finn closed his eyes, concentrating on nothing but the music.

_I am at ease in the arms of a woman  
Although now most of my days are spent alone  
A thousand miles from the place I was born  
But when she wakes me she takes me back home_

_Now most days I spend like a child  
Who's afraid of ghosts in the night  
I know there ain't nothing out there  
I'm still afraid to turn on the light_

The music continued, and Finn opened his eyes to the astonished faces of his four friends; Quinn looked like she was going to cry, Mercedes looked like she was going to cheer, Kurt looked like he was going to swoon, and Puck looked like he was going to kiss him (he shuddered inwardly at that thought).

His eyes widened. "Kurt, quick, turn off the music!"

"Why? You were doing so-"

"Turn it off!" Finn jumped down from the small stage, almost dropping the microphone in his haste, and dashed off to his office, his heart in his throat. As he opened the door, his cell phone rang once before stopping; shit shit shit shit _shit!_ He fumbled with it, and when he recognised Rachel's number, he died a little inside.

"What the hell was all that about?" snorted Puck, who appeared beside Finn.

Finn ignored him, and called back the number, scrunching his eyes closed as he did so; he totally wasn't ready for-

"_Hello Finn, how nice of you to take time out of your busy schedule to finally answer my calls."_

Finn held back a laugh; he loved angry Rachel.

Wait, what the fuck had he just thought? Of course he didn't _love_ her! He blamed his confusion on his exhaustion and headache, and promptly ignored any other theories about his stupid word choice.

"Sorry Rachel, I've been practising a number that I'm thinking about performing tonight." Out the corner of his eye, he could see Puck's eyebrows raising in shock; okay, so he might have left that bit out before he'd sung to his friends.

"_Oh, well in that case, I'm glad you didn't answer right away! What song choice are you going with? I take it that your voice remains similar to the last time I heard you perform? Is your vocal range anymore impressive? Because I'd love to be able to-"_She cleared her throat on the other end of the phone._"Sorry, I have this habit of needing to coach every person I come in contact with; I've been told that it can be counterproductive and sometimes rude, but I have good intentions! ...Finn, are you still there?"_

He smiled to himself, pushing Puck out of his office when his friend began to leer at him. He closed the door and pressed his back to it. "Yeah, I'm here."

"_Oh good,"_she said brightly. _"So, why did you want me to call again? I'm hoping that you're not about to yank the job from under my feet, though if you've changed your mind due to our complicated history then I can't-"_

"Can you just be quiet for a minute please?" he said, grinning like some kind of idiot.

"_O-of_ _course, I've been practising the art of silence over the years, and I've very nearly mastered it. Please proceed."_

He pressed the back of his head to the door, and bit his lip; how was this even possible? They hadn't spoken for years, and the way they'd left things... How was it suddenly okay again?

It wasn't though, that was the point. Rachel was being brave and nonchalant and, well, _Rachel_, and he was just acting clueless and dumb and, well, _Finn_.

"Right, so if you still want the job, you can travel up here anytime today. The flight lasts about an hour and a half, and when you arrive in New York, I'll meet you at LaGuardia airport, alright?" Silence. "Rachel, you still there?"

"_Yes... I'm just having trouble... adjusting to all of this. This isn't some kind of joke?"_

Finn felt his stomach twist; she thought he was messing her around? "No, this isn't a joke."

"_Then I'll call you before I board,"_she said, in barely more than a whisper, and Finn felt his chest tighten at the prospect of seeing her again.

"Sure, okay, see you later Rachel." He closed his cell, pushed it into his pants' pocket, then laughed to stop himself from crying.

"Dude, are you done yet? I wanna hear the rest of that song!" yelled Puck through the office door.

**Glee!**

"_Are you nervous?" Finn asked, mainly as a way to break the silence that had fallen on them yet again. He'd had a few (okay, a lot) of problems making conversation with her at first, but over the past couple of months, he'd gotten this civil thing down._

"_Yes," Rachel said monotonously, not offering a greater reply._

"_Yeah, me too," he admitted. "I can't believe we're actually here, in New York, because of glee club. You ready to go on?"_

_She looked at him without any kind of emotion, and Finn wondered pitifully if her lack of spark was his fault. "Yes."_

_She turned, ready to step out from behind the curtain, and before Finn knew what he was doing, he blurted out "Break a leg." He wasn't really sure what he'd expected to happen then, but she barely blinked, and walked out to the huge crowd without a backward glance at him._

"Nice to meet you, I'm Rachel Berry," gushed Rachel to the stranger sitting next to her on the plane. The man stared angrily at her before he pulled a large pair of headphones from his backpack to tune out her voice, though Rachel was too excited to be offended. New York! She couldn't believe this was happening! Yes, it may have cost her most of her savings to be able to afford the flight, and saying goodbye to her dads may have actually ripped a part of her soul away, and saying goodbye to Sean may have reduced her to a blubbering ball of emotion, but all in all, she didn't regret her decision to leave.

One of the best things about it all? Telling Anna. She'd planned everything out perfectly, and after plucking up the courage to call her, Rachel had told her that she was quitting the Theatre Guild to try something different. As expected, Anna had been thrilled, and with a sickly, smug tone, she'd told Rachel that she'd be more than happy to replace her. When Rachel had mentioned her new job at Faithfully, she was sure that she'd heard tears and a few petty insults on the other end of the phone, but what was done was done; she was glad she was free of that drama queen.

"Thank you for choosing to fly with us today. The plane is due to land at 9:30pm; we hope you enjoy your flight!"

Rachel wriggled in her seat with anticipation; here goes nothing.

**Glee!**

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Yup, I'm sure."

"Positive?"

"Uh huh."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Because I'll come if you want me to."

"No, I'm good."

"_Finn!"_

Finn rolled his eyes as he sighed. "Kurt, I can do this perfectly well on my own. Besides, you're gonna have plenty of opportunities to talk to her, alright? I need to do this my way."

Kurt made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growling cat before huffing in annoyance. "_Fine._ You should leave now so you're not late, otherwise she'll think you really are screwing with her. Hurry it up!" He flounced out of the room, leaving Finn to grab his car keys and some snacks for the short journey to the airport. He briefly contemplated taking Rachel a flower or something for when he saw her, but this was purely business, right? So a flower would be totally inappropriate, right? Right? As he left, Finn grabbed a rose from the bouquet Quinn had forgotten to take the night before, _just_ in case.

**Glee!**

Ten minutes until she landed.

**Glee!**

Five minutes until he was at the airport.

**Glee!**

Two minutes until she could collect her luggage.

**Glee!**

One minute until Finn Hudson would see Rachel Berry again for the first time in four years.

He stood awkwardly in the middle of the arrivals lounge, since he wasn't sure where she'd be coming from, and after deciding against the flower (it was squashed somewhere in his car), he'd gone with a cup of coffee because he knew how tiring even short haul flights could be.

He gazed aimlessly around the huge room, and watched as couple after couple were reunited with their loved ones. Young and old, men and women were jumping into the arms of their significant others, and Finn felt a smile playing on his lips; it was pretty damn adorable. He looked back to one of the gates, and as he glanced at the hundreds of strange faces around him, he managed to spot a small little girl, with big brown eyes and a nervous grin on her mouth, and he was pretty sure he was having a heart attack since his right hand was stinging like a bitch.

Oh, shit, he was squeezing the coffee cup too hard. He cursed to himself as the boiling hot water coated his fingers, and while he was busy wiping the scalding drink onto his jeans while he mumbled to himself, he didn't notice the girl standing in front of him, watching him with unbelieving awe.

"Finn?"

Finn looked up from his sore, pink hand, and as he realised that yeah, this was _actually_ happening, his jaw hung slack and his tongue flailed around in his mouth with a sudden inability to speak.

"Hi," Rachel said quietly. She brushed a piece of her hair behind her ears as she placed her suitcases on the floor beside her, a faint blush tingling on her cheeks. "I was half expecting you not to be here."

Finn's mouth was still open like an awkward, doofus fish, which meant that he _still_ couldn't form a coherent sentence, or even a single word.

"Okay, so I'm going to take your silence as a good thing, and-"

"I-got-you-some-coffee-but-I-spilled-it," he said quickly, holding out the almost empty cup.

Rachel winced at his hand and leaned in slowly to take a look. "That was very kind of you, but we need to put this under cold water to prevent any serious, long term damage. Come on, we need to go this way." Taking her bags in her grasp once more, she walked swiftly towards the restrooms, looking now and again over her shoulder to make sure Finn was still there.

He followed her like an obedient little puppy 'cause he had literally lost the ability to act like a normal human being for whatever reason. Still, she seemed to be taking it in her stride, and before he knew it, they were standing outside the male restrooms, and she had taken the coffee cup from his hand (why did he still have that?).

"I'll wait here while you run your hand under the water," she said with a nod, though she bit her lip and frowned. "Actually, I think I need to supervise. If no one's in there, I'll just lock the door until we're done; come on!" As if she was a frequent visitor of male restrooms, Rachel let herself in without any hesitation, and Finn, again, simply followed, not bothering to argue with her. "The coast in fortunately clear," she said brightly. "Come here Finn."

"Okay." He took a couple of steps forward and put his hand under the faucet, and Rachel turned it on. It stung a little (okay, a fucking lot) at first, and Finn winced and groaned and cursed, which left Rachel with a smug smile on her face (he wasn't really sure why). "It's cold," he said dumbly after five minutes; he wiggled his fingers to make sure that they hadn't dropped off.

"As cold water generally is," laughed Rachel, and Finn felt something in his stomach drop; her musical, gentle laugh... wow, he'd sure missed that.

"We good to go?" he asked hoarsely. Rachel took his hand carefully in hers, and after a few gentle prods, she nodded.

"I think so. We can get you some cream later to soothe the burn if it returns." And just like that, the hand holding moment was over, and Rachel picked up her luggage as she left the restroom, leaving Finn to wonder when he'd become such an idiot.

"Thanks," he called after her. He jogged a little to catch her up, and as he took her suitcases, he grunted a little at how heavy there were.

"You're very chivalrous," Rachel said, half in jest, and Finn felt like he'd just been teleported back in time, back to a place where he and Rachel were about to hit things off; maybe that was going to happen again now?

"Thanks," he said with a grin. "That's a good thing, right?" He had no idea how the hell he'd remembered that moment, but he wasn't the only one; the blush on Rachel's cheeks suggested she'd remembered it too.

"So, is your... is your bar far from here?"

Finn cocked his head slightly; she sounded really nervous. "About fifteen minutes if the traffic's good, which it usually isn't." He smiled to try and make her feel at ease, and though her returning smile wasn't as earnest, he kind of understood why she'd be anxious. "Kurt's looking after the bar tonight since I'm here and stuff, and Puck and Mercedes have no doubt stolen most of the show with their singing, and Quinn- Rachel?" He looked over his shoulder to see Rachel standing in the middle of the airport, her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach; she was shaking like a leaf. "Hey, hey, come on, you're okay..." he whispered. He dropped her bags so he could place a cautious hand on her shoulder. "Rach, what's up?" He felt her stiffen at the sound of her nickname, but he tried to stop it from phasing him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "I didn't... it's difficult, listening to you talk about them like that."

Finn furrowed his brow. "What?"

"About my ex friends," she whispered. "It's great, truly lovely, that you're all still in contact with each other..." She didn't elaborate, but Finn wasn't _that_dense; she was jealous.

"And soon, you will be too," he promised. He picked up her bags and tried to give her his best reassuring smile. "Let's go, and then I can introduce you to my pride and joy."

Rachel didn't move. "This is going to sound selfish of me, but it's been a long day, and even though it's early, I'd like to be able to go to sleep if that's okay?" She suddenly bit her lip so hard that it bled, and a little whimper escaped her mouth.

"Rachel?"

"I don't have anywhere to go, and I c-can't afford a h-hotel room."

Finn took a deep breath; this was probably gonna ruin him. "You can stay with me for as long as you need until you can save enough to find an apartment, okay? I'm not just gonna leave you stranded, I promise."

"Are you s-serious?"

"Of course I am; let's go." After a reassuring nod, Rachel gingerly followed him out of the airport; he'd wait until later to probably regret this decision.

**Glee!**

"Yeah, that's not a problem is it?"

"_No, but you promised that you'd let us see her tonight!"_

Finn rolled his eyes. "Kurt, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow, and please, make sure the bar doesn't set on fire or something, alright?"

"_Fine, you liar. No reunion sex, you hear me? I want to see her when she's untainted by your deplorable ways. At least I can steal all the solos tonight without you glowering at me; goodnight Finn."_

Finn chuckled to himself, and ignored the way his cheeks burned at the mention of 'reunion sex'; like that was ever going to happen.

"Finn, is everything okay?"

He turned around and felt his pants get a whole lot tighter; Rachel Berry was standing in his apartment in some kind of awesome, revealing lingerie night dress _thing_, and it took all he had not to melt into a puddle of lust and goo.

"Uh... uh huh, yup, everything's peachy!" He cleared his throat and diverted his gaze because, holy _cow_, was it possible that Rachel's boobs looked even more awesome now?

_Shut the hell up subconscious, this is totally inappropriate!_

"Oh good, I'm glad." She fiddled nervously with her hair. "Does this apartment only have one bed?"

Finn felt his pants tighten even more because-

_Nope, not going down that route tonight, or ever! ...okay, there's no pointing ruling out the future but..._

"Yeah." Awkward cough. "Um..." Awkward cough. "Look, you can sleep in my bed tonight, I'll crash on the couch, and then I'll invest in a sofa bed or something tomorrow, okay?"

Rachel gave him a wide, thankful smile. "Thank you Finn, you really _are_ very chivalrous you know. Good night."

"G'night," he said hoarsely. Rachel almost skipped into his bedroom, and with her butt shaking as she did so, Finn felt his whole body ache; what the hell was he doing?


	4. Chapter 4

**D: '****Reason Why' belongs to Rachael Yamagata.**

For the second morning running, Finn wondered if he'd dreamt everything up about the day before. It was possible, really, if it hadn't been for three things. The first was that his imagination wasn't his greatest asset, and it seemed unlikely that he'd invented the whole Rachel-in-his-bed thing. Secondly, the ache in his neck and the uncomfortable cracking sound that was emanating from his body was a reminder that yes, he'd crashed on the couch because Rachel Berry had _actually_ slept in his bed. Thirdly, he could smell something delicious in his barely-awake state, and unless he'd left something in the oven (not likely since he barely knew how to work the thing), it had to be coming from said girl-in-his-bed.

"Good morning Finn!"

Finn opened his eyes with a start, and at the sight of Rachel looking over him, he crashed onto the floor with a groan. "Mornin'", he grunted; way to get off to a good start.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be hovering around, I know, but I made you breakfast."

Finn looked up from the floor in slight wonder, because while he was still coming to terms with this whole Rachel situation, she's said the word breakfast, and his stomach was already growling; Rachel used to be an awesome cook.

"No, that's alright, I uh, had a bad dream..." With a wince, Finn lifted himself onto the couch, and as inconspicuously as he could, he glanced down at his pants to make sure he wasn't showing any nuttage; thank _God_, that could have been embarrassing.

"Oh, well I hope it wasn't anything too traumatising?" she asked softly, and Finn noticed the way she bit her lip; she knew he was lying.

"_Are you my friend, Finn?"_

_Finn looked over his shoulder at Rachel, who had been following him down the hallway for the past ten minutes (he just hadn't had the courage to tell her to go away). "Friend?"_

_She shifted uncomfortably, and though she looked like she wanted to glance away, she kept her eyes on his. "I understand that you're unable to offer me a second chance regarding a relationship, but can we still be friends?"_

_Finn clenched his jaw and offered her a completely fake smile. "Sure."_

_Rachel bit her lip and offered him a fake smile of her own. "Thank you." They both knew he was lying._

"Okay, that was a lie," he found himself admitting, though he wasn't even sure it was important. "I was half awake one minute and then you were there the next, and you startled me." He cleared his throat and looked towards the kitchen, because whatever she'd made, it smelt pretty darn amazing. "I was also trying to remember if I'd dreamt this whole thing up, and then there you were, all Rachel-y."

Rachel smiled a tiny little smile, and it felt nice, knowing that he could still make her do that. "Oh," was all she said, but Finn could hear laughter in her voice. "Well, I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries, but I thought you'd appreciate a hot breakfast since your cereal is actually past its sell-by date."

"No, that's great, thank you Rachel." He stretched his arms and yawned while Rachel disappeared into the kitchen, humming as she went, and he made sure not to stare at her ass; he was a real grown up and everything.

"Where did you get all this food?" Finn walked into his tiny kitchen in a daze, staring in wonder at the rainbow of colour in front of him; fruit salads, pancakes, waffles, yoghurt, sausages, eggs, bacon; the list went on and on. "Did I have all this stuff in the fridge? I'm pretty sure I haven't gone food shopping in the last month..."

Rachel pulled her hair into a ponytail and smiled a little guiltily. "I decided to repay your kindness by making you breakfast, but when I got to the store, which took me far too long to find might I add, I wasn't sure what you'd be hungry for, so I bought everything!" Her hands on her tiny hips, she nodded proudly. "I have to say, it was a bit of an ordeal in itself trying to locate enough cooking utensils to prepare the food, but I hope the end result is satisfactory; dig in!"

She picked up one of the bowls of fruit and made herself comfy on the couch while Finn simply stared at everything else; holy _crap_, thank God he was hungry. Pulling a clean plate from one of his bare cupboards, Finn scooped up a couple of sausages, three pieces of bacon, two spoonfuls of scrambled egg, four waffles, a pancake, and a banana just to balance it out. His apartment was so small that he'd never bothered to get a dining table, and most of the time he ate out anyway, so his couch was his go-to place for eating. Careful not to spill the food on his carpet, he sunk into the seat beside Rachel, who was nibbling happily on a piece of kiwi.

"You shouldn't have done all this," Finn insisted as he shovelled egg into his mouth, "it musta cost oo a fawtoon."

Rachel grinned and lightly hit him on the arm. "Don't talk with your mouth full Finn Hudson," she scolded, though she wore a smile as she continued to eat her food. "It was nothing compared to how much a hotel would have cost me, and I really am grateful you know." She swallowed a strawberry and gulped painfully, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she watched him. "I really _am_ grateful Finn, and not just for letting me stay the night, but for giving me this opportunity, and I _promise_I won't let you down."

Finn felt his heart hammer against his chest, though that was probably due to the fact that he was sure he had a sausage lodged in his throat. He swallowed, swallowed, and swallowed again until he could breathe easier, though maybe that was because Rachel had looked back at her own food, and he didn't need to stare at her huge brown eyes anymore.

"It's nothing, really," he said after a silence that was only permeated by the chewing of food. "It was really Kurt's idea, so thank him."

Rachel's lip wobbled. "Really?" She looked to Finn, hesitance etched across her face. "Would you... tell me about him? About them?" At Finn's confusion, she bit her lip. "Would you tell me what happened to everyone in glee club?"

_Oh, right, that's what she's talking about. Uh oh, this could be super awkward, try and change the subject!_

"Okay." _Shit, Finn, don't you ever listen to your sub-conscious?_"Can I finish this first?" Rachel nodded with a small smile, and Finn licked his lips. "It's delicious by the way, like, _all_ of it; you always were a good cook." He noted the blush that danced on her cheeks, and it made him feel good about himself, which he didn't really understand.

"I'm glad, and thank you," she whispered, placing her bowl on the coffee table beside her. She waited patiently while Finn inhaled his food like some kind of tornado, and when he was finally finished, she handed him a napkin, resisting the urge to wipe his mouth herself.

"Is there anyone you want me to start with?" Finn asked reluctantly. He wasn't sure what she wanted to hear, and it wasn't as if he knew how _everyone_ was doing (one individual stuck out in his mind, but he didn't even bother to think of her name).

Rachel pressed her fingers to her mouth in thought. "How about... Artie?"

Finn stopped himself from frowning. Why Artie? The two of them had never been more than teammates, so why hadn't she asked about-

His heart skipped a beat; who would she ask about anyway? None of the glee club were her friends, not anymore, and technically, neither was Finn.

"Artie went to college in..." He pursed his lip in thought then shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I don't remember where he studied but he went to college to learn computer programming and things like that. I'm not sure what his official degree title is but it's really long and impressive sounding, and now he's working in a company that programs software for the government."

Rachel gasped in wonder at the idea of Artie in an office somewhere, working on a file for the President (she knew that it was the dreamer in her that conjured up this image, but she also knew that one day, if Artie wanted to do it, he'd be able to without a shadow of a doubt). "Wow," she simply whispered, which elicited a chuckle from Finn.

"Yeah, he's doing pretty well for himself, and Brittany's super proud of him."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Brittany and Artie a still a couple?" She shook her head in disbelief; she'd never imagined them going the distance, which made her heart ache somehow.

Finn, his laugh gone from his lips, nodded once. "They hit a rough patch a year into their long distance relationship; Brittany went on tour with Miley Cyrus as her backing dancer, and they struggled a bit to makes things work, but yeah, they're happy now as far as I know."

"I'm really pleased for them."

Finn pulled a pained smile. "Me too." There was an awkward silence; were they both thinking about what could have been, what might have been Finchel? Possibly, it was hard to tell.

"How about Lauren?"

"Wrestler."

"Sam?"

"Football player."

"Tina?"

"Thespian... is that the right word?"

"Mike?"

"Accountant."

"Quinn?"

"Chef."

"Kurt?"

"Fashion designer."

"Mercedes?"

"Teacher."

"Santana?"

Finn looked away from Rachel's inquisitive stare and picked up his plate while taking the bowl from her grasp. "I should probably clean this up." Without another word, he headed into the kitchen, careful not to make eye contact with the girl that was staring at him in confusion; reminiscing was never a good idea.

"I've forgotten someone," he heard a voice say behind him. Finn sighed and glanced over his shoulder; he'd been waiting for this.

"Yeah, Puck, he-"

"No, I know he works at your bar," Rachel whispered quietly. "I was going to ask about you; what happened after high school?"

"_New York?"_

"_Uh huh."_

_Kurt raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Finn, you know that I love you and think you're a wonderfully talented and kind person, right?"_

_Finn smiled with surprise. "Gee Kurt, thanks!" He turned back to the jigsaw on the table, though he was pretty sure that he'd lost one of the pieces; crap, he'd have to go through the box again to be sure._

"_But you're also delusional, clueless and terribly naive." Kurt's words were met with a puzzle piece thrown straight between his eyes._

"_You're such a great brother," Finn said sarcastically. "Now let me finish this." He turned back to the jigsaw, and with his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth, he attempted to fill a hole that he'd been struggling with all day._

"_Charming," huffed Kurt. He placed the puzzle piece on the table with the rest and pressed a cautious hand to Finn's shoulder. "I_do_think of you as a brother, Finn, regardless of how long our parents have been married. Therefore, it means that I want the best for you."_

_Finn continued to look for the right piece, though only because he didn't like where this was going. "And insulting me's the way to do that?"_

"_No, but you need to be realistic, and if you think you can just disappear to New York with no friends, no degree and no idea in hell what you're doing..." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. *Good luck with that I suppose." Kurt pressed a puzzle piece into the hole that Finn had been struggling with and left; he knew Finn well enough to know that he wasn't going to give up on his dream, even if he'd only dreamt it for Rachel._

"Sorry."

Finn turned back to the tiny, guilty-looking girl that was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, clutching nervously at her skirt. He hadn't really given her clothes much attention (because seriously, there was so much going on in his head that the way she was dressed was the last of his worries), but as he looked at them, he realised that this girl, the one that had turned up out of the blue and back into his life, wasn't the one he once knew, and it hurt Finn more than he wanted to admit.

"What are you apologising for?" he asked with a frown.

"For mentioning Santana, and for being so nosy; I should just mind my own business." Her eyes flickered between the floor and his face, and Finn gulped as he shook his head.

"Don't apologise. Look, we have a lot to do today, but when you're all settled in with the job and things, we can sit down and talk about everyone, okay? Including San- her." He saw a smile tug at her lips as she nodded, and he promised himself to make her feel comfortable, not alienated. He tried to think about what he'd be like in her situation, not knowing any of his old friends and teammates, and he really did sympathise with her. "Right, do you wanna see the bar?"

Rachel's eyes lit up. "Yes please."

**Glee!**

"_Hello?"_

"_Hi, i-is Sean there please?"_

"_He is. Who's calling for him?"_

"_R-Rachel, Rachel Berry."_

"_Oh, you're the girl who Finn brought, aren't you? The one who gave Sean singing lessons?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I'll just be a minute so I can put the call on speaker phone for him. One sec honey... Thanks mom. Yeah, I'm peachy. Okay. Rachel?"_

"_H-hey Sean."_

"_I haven't heard from you in a while. How's life?"_

"_F-Finn broke u-up with me."_

"_Oh God, Rachel, are you okay?"_

"_No."_

"_Come over."_

"_What? No, I can't, I j-just needed to hear the voice of a f-friend because nobody likes me, Sean. I've a-always suspected that their affections were f-falsified and now I have p-proof."_

"_Come over."_

"_I'm okay, thank you. L-look, I'm not sure why I called, but I h-have to go. Bye."_

**Glee!**

"Okay, here we are." Finn smiled up at Faithfully, the one thing in his life that he was actually proud of. The name, cast in a silver typeface that he refused to admit made him swoon a little (ssh, it was important to him, alright?), hung proudly on the brickwork of the building, and though the appearance of the bar wasn't particularly elaborate, it had a presence that couldn't be described with words.

At least, that's how Finn felt about it. To any other person, it probably just looked like a boring old building, but this was his legacy, and he felt like a proud parent as he showed it to Rachel. "What do you think?" He looked down at her and pulled a face with a furrow of his brow; she had her eyes closed. "Er, Rachel? Is something the matter?"

She opened her eyes, and Finn watched with curiosity as she gasped and pressed her hands over her mouth. "It's amazing," she whispered in complete and utter awe, and Finn felt his chest tighten at her enthusiasm; she actually understood how important this was?

He gulped as a smile stretched across his face. "Yeah, it's nothing special but-"

"Are you kidding me? Finn, _look at it!_" She threw her arms in the air as a way of encompassing everything in front of her. "I can feel the work you've put into it and the potential and the _presence_." Finn blanched; was she reading his mind? She looked shyly at him, and with a small smile, she shrugged. "Or at least, that's the impression I get from the outside."

"Then wait until you see the inside," he whispered. It shouldn't have been a big deal, just showing a friend his bar (if she could even be called a friend), but she wasn't just some high school memory anymore. Besides, this was Faithfully, and it had to be some kind of fate that she was here, right? Without thinking about it, he took her hand and led her inside, his heart thumping uncomfortably in his chest.

_Finn had his eyes closed as a content hum echoed from his throat. With his head in Rachel's lap, he tried to listen to what she was talking about, but she was playing with his hair and stroking his face and he kind of loved her even more for that, even if it made him really sleepy._

"_Finn, did you hear me?"_

"_Mmmm?" He wanted to look up at her to see if she was mad that he'd spaced out, but that meant he'd have to move and he was way too comfortable._

"_Have you thought anymore about college?"_

_Finn gulped, but still didn't move. College; the word had been mentioned a lot recently. It was probably down to his mom's wedding, 'cause Rachel had suddenly started talking about their futures and their relationship and honestly? It kind of overwhelmed him. He loved her, there was no question about that, and he knew she had his best intentions at heart when she tried to prepare him for the real world and stuff, but Finn barely knew what he was going to eat for breakfast tomorrow; he hadn't given his future much thought. The only thing he knew for_sure_was that Finchel would still be going strong and perfect, which would someday lead to marriage and a house and babies and all kind of awesome, slightly terrifying ideas._

"_No," he finally admitted. "But I've decided one thing babe." He wanted to look up at her again because he knew how much she liked it when he called her names like that ("It's very endearing Finn and um,_sexy_"), but her fingers had some kind of magic touch because he just felt so at home in her lap (yeah yeah, not in the kind of way you perv)._

"_Oh?" she asked quietly, tracing her fingers across his jaw._

"_I want to follow you Rachel. I want to go with you wherever you go. If it's New York, I want to follow you there and support you and take care of you." She stopped stroking his hair altogether, and Finn sat up, crestfallen. He was about to complain (as nicely as he could), but her face was all crumpled up and sad, and he wanted to make her feel better again. "Rachel?"_

"_You really mean that?" Her question was barely more than a whisper, and since Finn was so attuned to her voice, he could spot the insecurity in every breath (he really deserved a medal for that)._

"_You don't believe me?" And this time it was his voice that sounded insecure and sad because he'd kind of taken her love for granted. See, he knew how much he loved Rachel, but he didn't really know how much she loved him back, and if she didn't believe that he'd do this for her, then didn't she know him at all?_

_She cupped his face in her hands and brushed a thumb over Finn's lips, which were curved into a pout. "I do, Finn, I do, but sometimes-" She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. "Sometimes it seems surreal, that you'd want anything to do with me. I'm not pretty like Quinn or hot like Santana, and I-"_

"_Shut up."_

_Rachel's eyes widened as she looked up at Finn. "Excuse me?"_

"_I said shut up," he growled, and Rachel felt her heart jump into her throat. "I_love_you Rachel, and you're beautiful and super hot and a whole lot of other things, so don't say stuff like that." He folded his arms with a huff reminiscent of his girlfriend and frowned. "One day, we'll both be standing in New York, hand in hand, and you better feel guilty for ever doubting what we have."_

_Rachel brushed away an errant tear as she nodded, biting her lip. "I believe you."_

_Finn gave a tiny smile. "Good; can you carry on stroking my hair now?"_

"Welcome to my paradise," he whispered quietly as he turned on the lights. Flashes of brightness erupted around the room, engulfing the space in warmth.

Rachel squeezed his hand, which she clung to for dear life, and gasped in amazement because it was so _big_. "Wow," was all she managed to say, and Finn chuckled in response.

"Yeah, it kinda has that impact on everybody. Come on, I'll show you around." Leading her like a little child, he pulled her to the bar itself, which stood in the middle of the room, pressed against the back wall. Glasses of all shapes and sizes glistened on the shelves alongside a vast collection of spirits and liquor, each bottle adding to a rainbow of colour. The lighting above was mellow and comfortable, and as Rachel took a step closer, it reflected against the glasses, causing patterns to erupt across the wall; like a cat, she watched them intently, fighting the urge to try and catch them. "Bend down a second."

Rachel looked at Finn with a slight fear in her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Bend down, you're missing the best part." Finn sat himself down on the cool, hard floor and motioned for her to do the same. When she'd determined that she wasn't going to become covered in dirt and God only knows what, she lowered herself to the ground, an eyebrow cocked with curiosity.

"And the point of this is?" she asked. Finn pointed to the bar, and Rachel gasped. On the island itself, behind the stools that were scattered alongside it, was an array of playbills, album covers, ticket stubs and a hundred other things that Rachel couldn't identify. She ran a finger along the surface, smiling as the uneven texture rippled against her skin; it was a collage, and it looked amazing.

"I never meant for it to look like this," Finn began, his eyes trailing the various pictures and memories. "I remember walking in while Puck and the builders were fitting the bar, and it was just plain and wooden and boring." He smiled at the memory, too busy reminiscing to notice that Rachel was smiling too. "I mean sure, it's just the place that people sit when they order their drinks, and most of it gets covered up by legs and stools and things, but I wanted everything to be perfect." He licked his lips. "I got kind of mad." He shook his head and let out a humourless laugh. "I'd spent the whole night trying to think of ways to make this damn thing look nicer, and in my er, frustration, I stuck some paper to the wood with the words 'piece of shit' written all over it."

Rachel tried to suppress a giggle. "Mature."

"Yeah," he said with a grin. "Look, you can still see part of it here." He pointed to a slip of paper that was hidden under various other stickers and labels, and sure enough, the words 'piece of' were visible. "When I woke up the next morning, I tried to get the paper off, but I'd used some wallpaper paste and I knew that if I ripped it off, it'd look even worse, and so I started to stick anything and everything on top of it, and it kinda grew from there."

Rachel skimmed the decoration, noting the hundreds of autographs that littered the island. She tried to play it cool, because if she was going to work there, she'd have to deal with countless celebrities, though the idea made her stomach twist and her heart beat erratically. "It looks amazing Finn; it's really you, and-" She stopped in midsentence, clutching a hand to her chest. "Is that a Wicked playbill?" She looked to Finn for confirmation, and when he rubbed his neck awkwardly, she had to stop herself from squealing.

"Yeah, it is; I have about six scattered around." Though his cheeks were a little flushed, he shrugged, attempting to be as nonchalant as possible. "I figured that since I live in New York, I should probably give Broadway a go, and I remembered that you'd-" He trailed off; he didn't need to say anymore. "I really enjoyed it, and I go whenever I can, even if I'd never admit it to anyone."

Finn took Rachel's hand so he could pull her to her feet, and over the course of the day, he introduced her to every little bit of his pride and joy. He showed her the kitchen and the storage room and the fridge, he showed her the restrooms and the staff bathroom, he showed her the numerous tables and seating areas, and when she was sure that she knew the place inside out, Finn showed Rachel the stage.

"It's not very big or impressive," he admitted as he helped her up the steps, "but we have decent enough equipment, and the lighting is really effective so that all eyes are on the person singing their heart out." He motioned to the lone microphone. "You can give it a go if you like, you know, to warm up before I go through what I need you to do; I just have to check a few things, but feel free to sing."

Rachel nodded numbly as Finn switched on the microphone and gave her an encouraging smile before turning his attention to the bar. Luckily, she always carried around an assortment of CDs and cassette tapes in case of an impromptu need to perform, so while Finn started leafing through a pile of papers, Rachel set about working the sound system for herself; she didn't want to bother him.

"Ah ha, there you are," she whispered quietly, smiling as she slipped in a homemade CD. When the music started playing, Rachel took her place proudly behind the microphone, and tried to stare into the emptiness of the room, rather than at the boy who was eying her with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation.

_I think about how it might have been  
We'd spend our days travelin'  
It's not that I don't understand you  
It's not that I don't want to be with you  
But you only wanted me  
The way you wanted me_

Rachel swayed gently to the music, letting her voice carry itself on its own. This was one of her favourite songs, and though possibly a little angst ridden, it was very fitting for her life up until this point. Again, she didn't look at Finn, and instead decided to close her eyes, her voice filling the silence of the room.

_So, I will head out alone and hope for the best  
And we can hang our heads down  
As we skip the goodbyes  
And you can tell the world what you want them to hear  
I've got nothing left to lose, my dear  
So, I'm up for the little white lies  
But you and I know the reason why  
I'm gone, and you're still there  
I'm gone, and you're still there  
I'm gone, and you're still there_

She wondered if Finn would be listening to the lyrics. When they'd been in glee club together, she'd sung a multitude of songs with deep, personal meanings. Sometimes he would understand instantly, and she'd be filled with a proud warmth in her stomach when he actually appreciated what she was trying to sing.

Sometimes he didn't, though she had a feeling that he feigned naivety on purpose (he'd been particularly adamant that her rendition of Madonna's Sorry didn't make any sense to him, though she believed otherwise).

Still, that had been the Finn she'd known in high school, and though Rachel saw elements of that same boy now, she could tell that he'd matured since his days in Ohio.

_I'll buy a magazine searching for your face  
From coast to coast, or whatever I find my place  
I'll track you on the radios, and  
I'll sign your list in a different name  
But as close as I come to you  
It's not the same_

Finn tried not to stare, honest to God he did. He had a lot of inventory forms to go through before the bar opened for business, and he still needed to give Rachel a crash course on working there, but it was one thing to hear her familiar voice on the computer, and a new thing entirely in the flesh. He wished he had a rewind button, because there were so many things that he needed to re-watch over and over, but as much as he wanted to examine every facial expression that she pulled and every shift in body language, he was too busy listening to her heart, which was on display in every single word that she sung.

_So, I will head out alone and hope for the best  
We can pat ourselves on the back  
As say that we tried  
And if one of us makes it big  
We can spill our regrets  
And talk about how the love never dies  
But you and I know the reason why  
I'm gone, and you're still there  
I'm gone, and you're still there  
I'm gone, and you're still there_

And if one of us makes it big... Finn gulped painfully as he tried to divert his gaze back to the paper in his hands. He'd never given that much thought before. When the two of them had been Finchel in high school, and hell, even before they'd dated, Finn had always held the belief that Rachel could do anything; she was a real_star_. As for him? Well, he'd just prayed that he'd graduate and get out of Ohio, and he hadn't really expected anything good to come of his life.

And if one of us makes it big; who'd have guessed that it would be Lima loser Finn with all the fame and the money?

_So, steal the show, and do your best  
To cover the tracks that I have left  
I wish you well and hope you find  
Whatever you're looking for  
The way I might've changed my mind,  
But you only showed me the door_

_So, I will head out alone and hope for the best  
We can pat ourselves on the back  
And say that we tried  
And if one of us makes it big  
We can spill our regrets  
And talk about how the love never dies  
But you and I, you and I know the reason why_

As the song drew to an end, Rachel opened her eyes to glance quickly at Finn; he was unashamedly staring; cue an inappropriate blush and an inability to stop smiling. "I'm all warmed up!" she said in a sing-song tone, and she hopped gracefully off of the stage. "Where do you want me?"

_In my bed on my dresser against the wall in my shower on the bar on the floor on the stage on the_

"J-just come over here and I'll run through what I need you to do."

Finn had girls throwing themselves at him on a daily basis; trust Rachel Berry to give him a hard-on with one fucking song.

**Glee!**

"_What if she doesn't like me?"_

"_She will."_

"_But what if she doesn't?"_

"_She will."_

"_But Finn, what if she_doesn't?"

_Finn rolled his eyes and dropped his math textbook on the bed; so much for trying to be productive. "You're right, my mom isn't going to like you."_

_Rachel let out a tiny whimper as she covered her mouth. "Finn?"_

"_She's going to_love_you, now stop being a baby and help me with this trig shit 'cause she'll only love you if you help me pass math."_

**Glee!**

"What if they don't like me?"

"They will."

"But what if they don't?"

"They will."

"But Finn, what if they _don't?_"

Finn rolled his eyes and dropped the work rota on the bar; so much for trying to be productive. "You're right, my staff won't like you."

Rachel let out a tiny whimper as she covered her mouth. "Finn?"

"They're going to _love_ you, now stop being a baby and help me clean these glasses 'cause they'll only love you if you help me keep this business running."

**Glee!**

"_Finn Hudson, are we allowed to meet her yet or what? Seriously, I need to see Miss Berry pronto!"_

Finn chuckled as he began to compose a reply, and his laugh made Rachel smile hesitantly. "Who was that?"

"Nosy much?"

Her cheeks blushed. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Kidding Rachel, kidding. It's Kurt; he's dying to see you."

Rachel tried to hide her excited smile, and instead focused again on the countless different drinks that lined the bar; she really hoped she could pull this off.

"_Sure, come on over, but you have to help get everything ready for tonight, okay?"_

Finn's cell buzzed two minutes later. _"You know I don't react well to manual labour, but fine, see you soon big brother! Kisses."_

Finn snorted with a laugh, and pushed his cell phone into his pants' pocket. As happy as he was that Rachel was back in his life, he was nervous for her; what if they didn't actually like her? It had been a while, and it wasn't easy to forget that the rest of the glee club had been less than friendly towards her, even before all the drama and shit.

Still, they were adults now, and he had a while to prepare himself for-

"Oh my dear lord, it really is Rachel Berry." Both Finn and Rachel's heads snapped towards the door as Kurt appeared out of nowhere, his designer sunglasses perched on his head with a shocked, excited stare. Behind him stood Puck and Quinn, who Finn was sure had been holding hands a few seconds earlier, with Mercedes tagging along beside them.

"Hello Kurt; it's been a while." Rachel gave them her best smile possible, but didn't move towards them. Instead, and slightly instinctively, she took a couple of steps closer to Finn; she felt like he'd protect her in case her old acquaintances were about to play some kind of joke.

"It has indeed," said Kurt with a satisfied nod. "Still as small as ever, but that was always quite endearing." The four of them walked towards Finn and Rachel like some kind of wolf pack, perfectly synchronised with one another, and Rachel couldn't help but wonder if they were going to pounce and attack for old time's sake.

"Rachel," said Quinn sharply; her expression softened when Finn gave her a 'you better be nice to the new girl who's not really a new girl but you know what I mean' glare. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yeah, it is," smiled Mercedes warmly. "You look good Rachel."

"Thank you," she whispered with a blush. She hesitantly looked towards Puck, who she'd mistreated badly in the past, and he winked at her, meaning all was well.

"Okay, reunion over." Finn placed his hands on his hips, glancing around at the five people in front of him. "Diane's still away on vacation, Marie has just started her maternity leave and Tom... I don't know where Tom is." Puck rolled his eyes; stupid fucker didn't appreciate his job. "All this means that we're gonna be pushed for staff again, even with Rachel, so man up, stay focused, and there'll be a bonus in it for you if we can get through the night without any complaints."

"But we don't even work here!" said Kurt indignantly. "If you expect Mercedes and I to wait on other people and-"

"We're fine with it Finn," smiled Mercedes as she covered Kurt's mouth with her hand.

"Awesome, thanks guys." Finn glanced at his watch and frowned. "Okay, we don't have long, so let's go."

**Glee!**

_Breathe Rachel, breathe_.

Rachel stared at herself in the mirror, trying to control her breathing. The bar had officially opened for the night, and as she'd been waiting around, ready for her first shift, she'd seen Barbra Streisand at one of the tables, and had promptly been sick in one of the toilets. She wasn't supposed to get stage fright or nerves, but this was completely different; this was going to make or break her.

"Rachel, are you still in there? Finn's pacing around out here and I'm pretty sure he's going to wear a hole into the floor."

Rachel stiffened at Quinn's voice. "Y-yes, sorry, just feeling a little lightheaded." She glanced towards the bathroom door, worried the blonde was going to run in and pants her (though she was wearing one of her favourite skirts, and she wasn't sure if that counted).

"Want to talk about it?"

Rachel's cheeks flushed with colour; talking things out with Quinn Fabray? Could she even do that? "Sure, yes please." After splashing cold water on her face, Rachel smiled in the mirror, trying to keep her cool. She had to forget about high school, that was a different life now, and it was all about making a fresh start.

"_So you got it on with Puck?"_

_Rachel jumped and darted around to look at Quinn, who was staring her down. She'd come to the auditorium for some peace and quiet, and really wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. "Excuse me?"_

"_You heard. Finn slept with Santana while you were dating St James, so you thought it'd be a nice form of payback to kiss Puck?" She sneered. "Classy."_

_Rachel felt tears sting at the back of her eyes; what was Quinn's problem? "I don't see how that's any of your business," she muttered, hurrying to put away her sheet music. "Finn and I-"_

"_Are over, man hands, because you're so damn insecure!" The blonde snorted and folded her arms, and with alarm, Rachel noticed that there were tears in the girl's eyes._

"_Quinn?"_

"_You weren't supposed to hurt him!" she whispered with frustration. "You were supposed to make him happy because I couldn't, and yet you made the same damn mistake as me!" She wiped roughly at her eyes, her jaw set in anger. "You were supposed to love him." Quinn stormed out of the auditorium, leaving Rachel with tears rolling down her cheeks; she was right._

Rachel stepped out of the bathroom and gave Quinn a brave smile, trying to hide her insecurities. "Sorry, I'm just a little nervous," she admitted, gently biting on her bottom lip.

Quinn nodded sympathetically. "I understand. Even though I spend most of my time in the kitchen, I know that it can be daunting." She offered her a friendly smile. "Come on, this is your chance to shine, Rachel." Quinn held out her hand, and when Rachel was sure that she wasn't going to bite her arm off, she took her offer, clinging tightly to the girl's soft fingers.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly, and the two of them walked into the bar together.

Finn was shitting bricks. They were still understaffed, they'd somehow overbooked the tables, and Rachel, who he could tell was out of her depth, had disappeared into the bathroom and hadn't been seen since. Oh, and some journalists had somehow found out that a new staff member had been hired, which meant that everyone was desperate for a glimpse of the new girl, who, as previously stated, was nowhere to be found. He looked anxiously towards a bottle of vodka, but thought better of it; stay calm Hudson.

"I'm sorry Finn, I had something in my eye." Finn darted round to see Rachel standing beside him, looking a little guilty, but thankfully still alive.

"Oh God, I thought something- never mind, you okay?"

She nodded meekly. "Yes, I am. So, I just wait on the tables and bring their drinks over, correct?" she asked, glancing towards Barbra and her other celebrity friends; she literally felt her knees go weak.

"Right," said Finn, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Puck'll help you with any drinks you're not sure about, and Quinn knows all the food orders by number, so don't panic if you don't know what a 69 is." Finn blanched at the same time that Rachel choked on a giggle. "I mean, the dishes are numbered... on the menu they're..."

"Yes, I know, thank you Finn," said Rachel sweetly, patting his arm with a grin. "And the singing part?"

Finn winked. "If you do well, I'll call you up later to give a performance, now go, I think Barbra's ready to order." He pushed her gently towards the overflowing tables, watching as the tiny little girl took her first steps.

**Glee!**

The night was drawing to a close, and Rachel, a little more than put out, hadn't sung _once_. Sure, it was her first shift, and she knew that the job involved a lot of menial tasks, but she'd expected Finn to give her at least _one_ solo; so far, Puck had performed five times, Kurt had sung twice, and Mercedes had wooed the crowds with a total of seven songs.

Besides, she was all sweaty and dirty and _tired_, and she couldn't wait to get some sleep. She poured another glass of fresh lemonade for herself (employees were allowed one non-alcoholic drink an hour), and sipped at it, sulking to herself. She hadn't expected favouritism just because her and Finn had once been in mad, passionate love...

Who was she kidding? Of course she'd expected favouritism! She'd assumed that the reason she'd been chosen for the job was because of her previous ties to Finn, and yet _nothing_! She threw back the drink in one breath and slammed the glass onto the bar counter, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Puck.

"Hey, something bothering you Berry?" he asked with a smirk as he tampered with the espresso machine.

"Nope, everything's fine Noah," she said through gritted teeth.

"It's 'cause he hasn't let you sing."

Rachel looked at Puck in awe. "How do you-"

"_Please_, isn't that what you live for, performing and shit?" He placed his hands on his hips accusingly. "I wouldn't worry 'bout it, Finn's only doing it 'cause he's worried you'll get snapped up by some talent scout and then you'll forget he ever existed."

Rachel felt a lump form in her throat. "You can't be serious?"

"Totally," Puck said with a nod. "He took a risk inviting you here, and he doesn't wanna get hurt; I don't blame the guy." He turned his attention back to the coffee machine, which was making unhealthy noises, and he punched it twice for good measure while Rachel searched for Finn in the crowd of visitors.

"Everything okay Rachel?" came his voice from behind her. She turned to face him, a small, fond smile playing on her lips.

"Everything's peachy!" she chirped, getting ready to return to the tables.

"Wait, before you do that, I..." Finn pursed his lips and took a deep breath. "I want you to sing something, please."

"_So, I thought we'd put it to a vote this year. Since you guys are graduating soon, it only seems fair that you choose who should perform at Nationals," said Mr Schue, writing a list of their names on the whiteboard. "We'll go round the room, and you can nominate whoever you want. Can you start us off Finn?"_

_Finn gulped nervously, but didn't protest. "I want Rachel to sing something, please."_

Rachel's eyes lit up, and she had to stop herself from engulfing him in a hug. "I would be honoured," she whispered happily. She jumped up to press a kiss to Finn's cheek, and even offered Puck a cheeky wink as she skipped towards the stage.

"Things haven't changed much have they?" snorted Puck with a laugh.

Finn looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"God, seriously, when did I become the dude with all the wisdom?" He pointed to the stage, where Rachel was getting her backing music ready. "You'd think the two of you were still in love or some shit."

Finn turned his attention back to Rachel, who had opened with Popular from Wicked. "Yeah, you'd think so," he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Rachel stumbled into Finn's apartment, clinging onto his arm to stop herself from crashing to the floor ungracefully.

"How much did you drink?" Finn asked with a snort, though he wore a smirk as he turned on the lights and closed the door behind them. Once he'd helped her to the couch, he watched in curiosity and amusement as she hurried to tug off her shoes.

"It was all non-alcoholic I can assure you," she said, wincing as she rubbed at her feet. "I'm not used to wearing heels." She groaned for good measure, and Finn chuckled lightly under his breath.

"So why do you wear them then?"

Rachel gave him her best glare. "Not by choice, believe me. I'm tiny, and it's important to look confident and tall."

Finn didn't tell her that he'd always liked her height, and instead lifted up her legs (ignoring the fact that he was touching her bare skin), moving her feet into his lap while she watched him warily.

"Being tall is overrated." Finn smiled at her before slowly brushing his fingers over the soles of her feet, kneading them gently when Rachel sighed with approval, her head hanging against the couch. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Mmmmm," she murmured, eliciting a laugh from Finn. His fingers rubbed the heels of her feet firmly, making Rachel purr with contentment. "It was hard work, but being able to perform makes it all worth it." Watching Finn work magic on her sore feet, she whispered, "Did I make the team?"

He nodded. "Yeah, if you still want to be part of that team."

"I do." She smiled, a pink tinge spreading across her cheeks, and Finn returned it with his own smile, his fingers tracing soothing patterns over her skin.

"We have a lot of work to do," he said as he patted her feet, pushing them onto the couch.

"Thank you for that," she whispered gratefully. "And I understand. I need to work harder to fit in, and I'll admit that waitressing isn't my forte yet, but I'll do my best to be the best."

Finn gave a half smile as he scratched his head. "I'm glad, but I didn't mean that actually." He sat forward, rubbing his hands together as Rachel anxiously waited for him to continue." I meant... meant us."

Rachel's eyes widened as she cleared her throat, fidgeting in her seat. "Oh?"

"Things have been good, great even, between us, and I know it's just a front." He shrugged his shoulders. "We left high school without working our relationship out, and yeah, I want to change that; I want us to be best friends again." Finn looked guiltily at her, expecting some kind of horror to spread across her face, but instead he watched as she gave him an appreciative smile.

"I'd like that," she admitted honestly as she nodded, drawing her knees up to her chin and taking a deep breath. "What did you want to know?" Her eyes shone with intrigue, and Finn suddenly felt very self conscious.

"_Can we ask each other questions?"_

_Rachel raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend, who was toying with the teddy bear that she kept on her bed. "What kind of questions?"_

_He looked at her with a small smile on his lips, and made the bear shrug in his grasp. "Personal questions, just to know each other better."_

_Rachel grinned and nodded primly. "I'd like that. What did you want to know?"_

"Did you go to college here in New York after all?" he asked, sitting forward to watch her intently because okay, despite their ups and downs in the past, Finn was determined to set things right, and he genuinely wanted to hear about her life.

"I did," Rachel replied quietly, but the smile that had played on her lips moments ago had vanished, and Finn wondered if he'd hit a sore spot; maybe she hadn't passed with honours or whatever?

"Oh, that's cool; I never went to college." He ran a hand through his hair (he really needed to shower) as he tried to remember the reasons why he'd opted out in the first place. "It was a lot of money that we didn't have and I dunno, I could have applied for a football scholarship after all but I felt like I was going to be trapped in college without you-" Finn snapped his mouth shut at the same time that Rachel cocked her head in intrigue; shit, had he actually said that?"

"Without me?" she asked quietly, her eyes shiny and big and Rachel-like. "What do you mean?"

Shit shit _shit!_ "Nothing, I just, um, I just mean that without you helping me with homework, I'd struggle." It was a lame save and he knew that Rachel wasn't buying it, but she didn't pry, so Finn tried to change the subject. "Did you enjoy college?"

"I had to drop out," she said in nothing more than a whisper, here eyelids fluttering as she took a deep breath. She was about to cry, she knew it, and it seemed that Finn knew it too because before a tear could trickle down her cheek, two strong, well toned arms wrapped themselves around her, and Rachel found herself pressing her face against Finn's chest, taking in the smell of sweat and soap and cologne and _Finn._

"Don't cry Rachel, please don't cry." He rocked her backwards and forwards, holding the tiny girl in his arms; the way her eyelids had flickered had alerted Finn to what was going to happen next, because despite the fact that they hadn't seen each other in years, he hadn't forgotten any of her quirks, especially not the ones that let him know she was upset. "We won't talk about it, it's okay babe, it's okay."

They both froze at the same instant, neither sure how to react. Finn hadn't called her babe in a long time, so much so that it felt foreign as it slipped from his tongue, and Rachel hadn't heard it since they'd dated; her heart ached at the mere thought.

"My daddy fell seriously ill," she said with regret, tightening her grip around Finn's chest until he began to rock her again. "For the first few days, my dad assured me that he'd be okay, and told me to stay in New York, at least until the end of my first year. I tried to concentrate on my finals and my performances but I couldn't stop worrying about my daddy, and I got a phone call that he was getting worse." Those awful days were behind her, but Rachel couldn't stop herself from crying at the memory of what her family had gone through; when Finn kissed her comfortingly on the head, she decided to continue. "I left straight away because I had to be there for both of them, and my dad couldn't cope on his own while my daddy was in hospital, so I told everyone that the reason I'd dropped out was for them." She looked up at Finn, who though a little older, looked just like the boy she remembered, the boy who adorned her with love and made her feel special and gave her his heart without a second thought; it felt right again. "I've never told anyone this before," she admitted, biting her lip. "But my daddy wasn't the only reason I dropped out." With that she looked away, and Finn found himself totally enthralled in the story.

He'd never imagined Rachel Berry of all people to quit college, especially when she'd had so many dreams for bigger and better things. If he could be honest, it was a bit of a letdown. Finn had always had so much belief in the little girl, right from the moment he'd first heard her sing (despite her crazy eyes and need to dominate everything). He'd always known that she'd be a true star someday, and though he hadn't had much confidence in his own abilities, he'd given his all to make sure Rachel knew how special she was.

And she'd never achieved her dreams after all, and Finn was left with a bitter taste in his mouth that wouldn't seem to go away. It was ridiculous, but he was _angry_ at her for being ordinary. Rachel Berry wasn't supposed to be average! She was supposed to be the one out of all of his friends who would _really_ make it out there in the big world because she had big talent and even bigger dreams.

"What happened?" he asked, trying to keep the venom from his voice. It pissed him off so much! And you know why? Because he felt guilty for doing well when she clearly hadn't; the problem was that he couldn't explain why.

"Before my daddy fell ill, I was struggling. I didn't have any friends, and while I'd been used to that at one point in my life, joining glee club and meeting you..." She sighed sadly. "I'd become accustomed to feeling wanted, and when no one wanted me in New York, I became a mess. I barely passed my exams and I struggled with the work that was set and I was lonely, Finn; my daddy was just an excuse to give up because I wasn't good enough." Rachel rubbed at her eyes as she tried to stifle a yawn. "Do you mind if I go to sleep? I had fun today but I'm exhausted."

Finn carefully moved his arms away, though a hand lingered to stroke her back. "Sure ba- Rachel."

With a grateful smile she brushed down her clothes before standing up, and God, the way she looked at Finn made him want to-

He didn't dare think any further because he knew exactly what he wanted to do to her and there was no way that he was going to-

"Thank you Finn, for listening," Rachel whispered, her cheeks slightly flushed and a smile on her face once more. "And thank you for wanting to be my friend again."

Finn was going to reply with some witty comment, but before he knew it, her lips were on his and he couldn't remember for the life of him anything other than the name Rachel Berry.

The kiss only lasted a second, if that, and was more than a peck than anything, but either way, her lips were soft and her breath was sweet, and it took all Finn had not to pull her onto the couch and-

"G'night Rach," he grinned dozily, and when she blew him a kiss before making her way into his bedroom, Finn literally passed out in surprise; hello sexual tension.

**Glee!**

"_Where is she?"_

_Guns roared in the distance and bombs of every size fell from the sky, destroying the homes and landscape that originated in the area._

"_Come on Finn, we don't have time."_

"_Where is she?" he yelled, pulling at his hair as he searched high and low for Rachel._

"_Come on!" screamed Puck, grabbing him by the arm as they tried to escape from the downpour of attack. Finn turned to check behind him, hoping that Rachel was waiting to be rescued, and he saw her, two seconds before the bomb wiped her out._

Finn woke with a jump and a yell, sweating heavily as he tried to control his laboured breathing. Was it a dream? A nightmare? He looked around frantically, trying to remember where he was and what had happened, and when he realised he wasn't in his bed, Finn pulled himself up from the couch and clumsily made his way into his bedroom, stumbling in the dark.

Fucking nightmares; they were getting worse and worse, and ugh, _fuck_, Rachel had died right in front of his very eyes, and he'd done nothing to save her! He couldn't get the noise of the bomb out of his head, and already he could feel his head spinning as he tried to remember that none of it had been real, but it was really no use; he needed to see her, make sure she was okay.

He clambered into bed, and though it was a small one made for a single occupant, he slipped in easily beside Rachel, who liked to curl up in a ball to rest, taking up very little room. His arms automatically draped across her body, and as he felt her once familiar heat and touch spread over him, he felt instantly better, knowing that she was beside him and-

"Finn?" she asked groggily, turning over to look in his direction with confusion and slight fear. "W-what's going on?"

"I had a nightmare," he whispered dumbly, because the more he thought about it, the stupider he was; this was so inappropriate. "You, um, you died and I just... sorry, I should-"

"No." Without warning, Rachel wrapped herself around Finn's body as she nuzzled her face against his bare chest, causing his cheeks to turn an embarrassing shade of red (luckily it was too dark to tell). "Stay, it's okay." She let out a cute snuffly sound, yawned a few times, and with a contented sigh, she nestled against him, the outline of a smile on her lips.

"Night Rach," Finn whispered, threading his fingers through her hair as she began to doze off. He missed the comfort of her touch and the security of their cuddles, and he missed everything about her, even if was difficult to admit. For a split second, he thought about whispering three words into her ear, three words that would change _everything_, but he changed his mind, and whispered another goodnight before falling asleep.

**Glee!**

Rachel's eyes fluttered open at almost nine o'clock, and considering the fact that she always rose at six no matter what the occasion, she felt as if she'd been sleeping for days; her whole body ached, though not with guilt or the thought of a wasted three hours; it was with _happiness._ She gingerly rubbed her eyes to try and adjust to the light in the bedroom when she realised where she was, and more importantly, who her body was unceremoniously draped over, and she let out the tiniest of squeaks at the sight of Finn Hudson's bare chest, rising and falling as he slept soundly beside her.

Her cheeks pinked as she tried desperately not to stare, but in all the time she'd known him, she'd _never_ seen him without a shirt on (she'd hoped that someone had taken photographic evidence of his infamous Brad costume fiasco, but if they had, none of the pictures had ever surfaced to her knowledge). Of course she'd seen chests before, in magazines and in movies and other such things, and one time she'd seen Noah walking around on the playing field wearing nothing but his football shorts, but this was Finn, and this was everything she'd always wanted.

Almost. When she'd envisioned herself seeing him this way for the first time, she'd assumed that it would be during wild, romantic intercourse where everything was (literally) laid bare, and he would tell her over and over how beautiful her body was.

What she hadn't expected was to first catch a glimpse of his lightly defined abs after he had an unpleasant dream. She smiled fondly down at him as she took in his appearance. When he was sleeping, Finn looked like a little child, his mouth hanging slack, his eyelids flickering back and forth, a small trail of drool seeping into the pillow; it was all extremely endearing.

Then she remembered what he'd had a nightmare about, about her dying and him being distraught, and Rachel felt her heart catch in her throat. Things were moving _so_ fast, and it felt as if they'd never parted; it felt as if they were best friends again, and more than anything, Rachel hoped that that was true.

Therefore, she had no real idea why she found herself trailing a finger down Finn's warm chest, tracing over the muscles and soft skin. She watched him shudder slightly in his sleep, and with a new found confidence that had no real right to be there (this would probably end terribly, she knew it already), she moved her finger to one of his nipples and began to circle it lightly before leaning down and pressing her mouth to it, brushing her tongue over him as her cheeks reddened.

"Mmmm, Rach..." Finn murmured, his eyes still closed as he hummed in approval. What the hell was she doing? This was supposed to be strictly professional, but God, the way the vein in his neck seemed to stick out just _did_ something to her, and Rachel found herself covering his body in quick, hot kisses, her fingers working their way up and down his chest before her lips latched against his pulse point, sucking roughly as her whole frame shook with nerves.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting. Half of her hoped that Finn would wake up and find her in this way, and would instantly return the favour, and the other half of her hoped that he _wouldn't_ wake up, and then her embarrassing attraction to him would go unnoticed.

"R-Rachel?" Rachel froze as she watched Finn's eyes open, and her heart hammered against her chest with the terror of being caught. He gazed down at her for a moment, his face full of exhaustion and confusion, and without another word, he crushed his lips to hers, his hands holding her head steady as he shifted onto his side, a groan rumbling in his chest. Neither of them bothered about possible morning breath because Rachel was too caught up in the moment to be disgusted, and Finn was too confused to care, and all either of them knew was that there seemed to be a lot of tongues involved, and a hell of a lot of groping.

As far as pyjama pants went, Finn's managed to keep him warm and all that jazz, but they didn't uh, cover his modesty so well. Actually, in most cases they did, and since he was rarely seen in them, it wasn't a huge problem anyway; the problem was that Rachel Berry was clawing her fingernails down his chest and she was making noises that he could only described as animalistic, and the longer their kiss lasted, the bigger the tent in his pants became until it was pretty obvious he was trying (and failing) to hide his arousal.

"Wait," he murmured against her mouth. Rachel reluctantly let go, her lips sore and puffy and her hair messed and sexy looking, and shit, Finn was such a jackass. "I'm sorry, this was a mistake."

What followed wasn't his greatest moment. There was a lot of shouting, a load of fucking cursing, and a hell of a lot more crying because Rachel couldn't understand why he'd lead her on like that.

"Rach, I mean Rach_el_, I woke up and you were um, you were _doing_ things to me and I was just confused I guess."

Rachel looked up at him, her eyes red and shiny, her lip constantly wobbling, her shoulders shaking as she cried, and she simply shook her head like he'd just killed her dad. "You always act like you're innocent, Finn Hudson." She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and practically snarled at him. "I thought you'd matured! I thought you'd gotten over your 'I'm Finn and I never do anything wrong and I'm always the victim because girls screw me over' phase, but you're just as bad!" She hiccupped and sniffled, and for a moment, Finn was sure that she was going to spit in his face. "You're such a hypocrite."

"And you're such a fucking drama queen!" He jumped off of the bed, throwing his hands in the air with anger as he tossed his head and snorted like a really pissed off bull. "I broke up with you, and you acted like someone had died! I tried to make things work for the club, and you just went into fucking autopilot or something, acting like you were the only person in the _world_ who's ever been hurt before! And you know what princess?" Finn let out a hollow, meaningless laugh; he rarely got angry, he rarely cursed, and he rarely used stupid, condescending nicknames. "You fucked me up too, alright? You pretended that I was the big bad villain for not forgiving you, and now you're doing it all over again! I can't take this shit."

Grabbing the closest clothes he could find, Finn stormed out of his bedroom, and not even a minute later, Rachel could hear the slam of the apartment door before she sobbed into her hands, mourning a kiss that paralleled her first one a little too much for her liking.

**Glee!**

"So explain again how it happened? I wasn't able to catch that during the incoherent shouting and crying."

Rachel rolled her eyes lightly at Kurt, who was sipping at a cappuccino while he watched her intently (so intently, in fact, that she felt like she was being interrogated). "I- Well, you see, last night Finn got into bed beside me because-"

"I _knew_ it would be Finn's fault! Where you are concerned, Miss Berry, that boy really has no control over his actions." Kurt sighed and took a bite from the corn muffin in his grasp. "I swear, he is unbelievable."

"It was my fault too!" Rachel squeaked, looking extremely guilty as she confessed to him (though more to herself). "He was feeling vulnerable because he had a nightmare, and I... I took advantage of that this morning." She sighed as she hung her head in hands, rocking back and forth in her seat whilst ignoring the concerned stares of the other coffee shop customers. "I shouldn't have kissed him."

"No, you shouldn't have," said Kurt with a loud tut. "And Finn shouldn't have returned it for so long if he wasn't comfortable with the connotations of his actions. Dear God, I don't know what to do with the pair of you sometimes."

Rachel smiled at Kurt in a way that made him frown and look uneasy, because even if he hadn't noticed it himself, he'd just accepted Rachel as one of his friends; he didn't know what to do with _them._

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

Kurt pursed his lips as he took another bite of his muffin. "What were his exact words before he left?"

"I can't take this shit!" Rachel bellowed in her best impression of Finn's voice, and though it earned her a few disapproving glares and a couple of throat clearings, it resulted in Kurt practically falling out of his seat in hysterics.

"You're almost as good as Sam," he giggled (Rachel wasn't sure she'd ever heard Kurt giggle before!), though this only resulted in confusing her slightly.

"Oh, you still keep in touch with Sam? Finn never mentioned it in his rundown of the glee club."

"He didn't tell you?" Kurt took a nonchalant sip from his cup, managed a few more nibbles of his corn muffin, and once he was satisfied that there were no crumbs lingering on his lips, he gave Rachel a quaint, unrevealing smile. "Sam and I have been dating since we graduated high school."

"Sam's _gay?"_ Rachel asked in outrage. "How did I never see that? I have two gay dads, I always thought my gaydar was strong and consistent!"

"Don't fret Miss Berry, he fooled everyone else too." Kurt smirked as he toyed with his bowtie, staring at nothing in particular as he continued talking. "I'd had my original suspicions when he'd first joined glee club, but he seemed eager enough to date Quinn, and though I considered the idea that she was his 'beard', so to speak, I didn't want to pry. Besides," he said with slight sadness in his voice, "I was fawning over Blaine in those days, so I didn't pay much attention to Sam, especially since I didn't see him very often after I moved to Dalton."

Rachel nodded, clinging to his every word. "When did you first re-evaluate his sexuality?" Even though she'd been present for all of the glee club's dramas until they'd graduated, Rachel felt like she'd missed out on everything. Admittedly, she'd become a recluse in the last year at McKinley, and therefore listened to the story like she'd never been a witness to any of it.

"Well, as you know, Blaine began dating Jeremiah, and I decided to transfer back to McKinley after Karofsky was expelled for hurting that young girl." The two of them frowned at the exact same time; that had been a dark event for everyone involved. "What you probably don't know is that when I returned, Sam came to me, asking for advice. It began with him asking for tips on styling his hair." Kurt smiled fondly and chuckled at the mere memory, and Rachel just gazed at her new friend, entranced by the story. "He soon began asking me about musicals and LGBT events, and though he was still dating Quinn, he couldn't have been more obvious if he'd walked into class wearing a shirt that said 'Likes Boys'."

"Did Quinn know?" Rachel asked quietly, her heart skipping a beat.

"She did," Kurt admitted, looking away for a few moments. "Sam didn't tell her the truth, and as his friend, I kept his secret, but she worked it out soon enough. I thought she was going to go all psycho bitch on Sam and I, but she was actually very supportive since she had her eye on someone else."

Rachel clapped a hand over her mouth. "Scandalous!" she whispered in awe, eliciting a playful roll of his eyes from Kurt.

"It was pretty clear that she'd always had a soft spot for Puckerman, but he was obviously dating Lauren at the time, and he was too blind to see that his baby mamma had the hots for him. Quinn and Sam broke up, but Puck and Lauren were still going strong."

Rachel was less interested in Quinn's romantic history. Though the blonde had obviously mellowed since the last time they'd really spoken, she knew that the two of them would never be the best of friends (and a small part of her still resented the idea of Noah and Quinn because of the pain they'd put Finn through).

"Why didn't you and Sam start dating straight away? You liked him, didn't you?"

Kurt sighed, a wistful expression clouding his features as he took another sip from his drink. "Yes, I'll admit that I had feelings for him at that time. At first, I was... scared of letting my affections be known." Grinning a little, Kurt patted Rachel's hand that rested on the table. "As you can probably recall, my previous attempts had resulted in a homophobic feud with my soon-to-be step brother, and where Blaine was concerned, I had to watch as he serenaded his own crush in the middle of the Gap."

Rachel tried to stop herself from laughing. "Smooth, Kurt."

He wiggled his eyebrows as he winked at her. "I decided to let Sam take his time, and I just hoped that he felt the same way, and had the courage to tell me."

"And did he?" Rachel asked eagerly.

"He did, and we shared our first kiss during junior prom, hidden away in his truck; it was wonderful."

Rachel's eyes glazed over at the mention of the prom; she hadn't attended either of them, because at that point, she hadn't been on speaking terms with anybody. "But you didn't date?"

"No," Kurt said shortly, finishing off his muffin. "We were in love long before we ever dated, but Karofsky wasn't the only bully who had issues with me being gay, and I didn't want to subject Sam to the same kind of humiliation. It would have been bad enough for him to come out of the closet, never mind blatantly dating another boy. So we waited, and we promised to make out relationship official once we'd left the hell known as McKinley." He shrugged, though he wore a happy smile on his lips. "Since then, things have been perfect. Sam and I are living together, and though he wanted to come up to New York with me, he has a lot of training to do for some big game; I can never remember when he's playing."

"That's lovely," Rachel said with a sigh; there were literally hearts in her eyes, picturing Sam and Kurt as a happy, loving couple. "And you're a fashion designer, right?"

"A fashion designer?" Kurt asked indignantly, snorting in exasperation. "Finn told you that, didn't he? God, that boy has no interest in anything I do! I work as a journalist, so to speak, with an organisation promoting the understanding and acceptance of homosexuality, but in my spare time, I create unique outfits for a variation of clients."

"So you're a multi-tasking fashion designer?" Rachel giggled while Kurt rolled his eyes, though she was happy to see that he was taking it in his stride; it felt incredibly nice to feel at such ease with him, something she'd only felt with Sean since Finn had left her.

"Right, what are we going to do about you and Finn? And more importantly, where did he go? I swear, if he leaves it to me to open the bar, I'm going to castrate him."

A bubble of guilt rippled in Rachel's stomach. "I hope he's okay..."

"He's a big boy," Kurt said as he dismissed her worry with a wave of his hand. "He's probably out buying you an engagement ring because there's obviously some unresolved sexual tension between the two of you that needs to be addressed."

"Kurt!" Rachel's cheeks flushed in shame. "There's nothing going on, I was just-"

"Caught up in the joy of seeing my brother half naked, I get that. Either way, he needs to apologise for his behaviour, as do you, but that isn't possible until his sorry ass makes itself known. Come on, we'll head over to Faithfully and we should catch him there."

As the two of them left the cafe, Rachel listened with a heartfelt smile as Kurt's cell phone began to ring, and he pointed at the screen; Sam.

"Hey Sammy," he cooed, linking his arm through Rachel's while she felt her knees go weak at the contact. "How's the training going? Oh, I _am_ sorry about that; you know that if I was there, I'd make it better, right? I know, I love and miss you too."

They walked the rest of the way there, arm in arm, and Rachel couldn't stop smiling all of the while. Considering that she had possibly ruined her budding friendship with Finn, she finally felt accepted with Kurt.

**Glee!**

"Where the fuck is he? He's never disappeared before without letting _someone_ know!" barked Puck as he massaged his temple, unbelievably close to throwing a glass at the wall in frustration. "Course, the one time he goes AWOL is when you show up, Berry."

Rachel rolled her eyes, trying to fight back the flood of guilt that threatened to spill at any moment. "I'm sure he's just a little angry, and needs to cool down; maybe you should do the same."

The bar was open for the night, and though they'd tried countless times to call him, Finn hadn't picked up once, and no one had heard from him since the argument. They all still had their jobs to do, and though Puck kept threatening to leave to try and find his best friend, Quinn managed to convince him to stay (her methods involved a suspicious amount of time in the kitchen, even though no one had ordered anything to eat).

"You're just as worried, aren't you?"

Rachel looked over her shoulder at Mercedes as she tried to balance six glasses of drinks on her small, sticky tray. "Just as worried as who?"

"As Puck; I know you're trying to hold it all together but it's obvious; you've got it bad for Finny D."

"I can't talk right now Mercedes, I have drinks to distribute." Rachel hurried away from the inquisitive gaze of her former friend as she tried to focus on not spilling vodka down the front of Johnny Depp's shirt, but really, it was no use; of _course_ she had it bad for Finn. She had it so bad for him, in fact, that she'd never moved on, despite the years passing and despite the lack of contact; kissing him only made her infatuation worse.

"Hi, my name is Finn Hudson, and I'll be singing a song for you all tonight." Everyone turned to stare at the stage, and while she could hear Puck shouting in joy and Kurt tutting at how much he'd worried for him, everything faded out around her; she only had eyes for the boy who was watching her, some semblance of a nervous smile on his lips. "This is actually my first public performance in a few years," he said shakily, "but this morning I hurt a friend, and I need to put things right. Rach, this one's for you."

_And if I could swim, I'd swim out to you in the ocean  
Swim out to where you were floating in the dark_

Rachel hadn't heard him sing since their winning performance at Nationals, and if she thought his voice was good then, it was _nothing_ compared to the improvement he'd made. She knew that most of it came from not performing for so long, but his voice was slightly deeper, a little gravelly, and God, it was _hot_, and he was singing just for _her_.

_And if I was blessed, I'd walk on the water you're breathing  
Lend you some air for that heaving, sunken chest_

She wasn't sure what he was singing, and she wasn't sure if the song was about treasure chests or... or well, _female_ chests, but as the words flowed so effortlessly from his tongue, Finn winked at her as he practically growled out the words, and Rachel was sure that she was going to pull off her underwear and throw them on the stage in lust.

'_Cause they chose you as the model for their empty little dreams  
With your new head and your legs spread like a filthy magazine  
And they hunt you and they gut you and you give in_

The smirk that he wore faded as he began the chorus, and Rachel knew what that expression meant; _listen, because this really is for you._

_I'd walk through hell for you, let it burn right through my shoes  
These soles are useless without you  
Through hell for you, let the torturing ensue  
My soul is useless without you_

When the song ended, Finn received a standing ovation (and, in fact, countless bras from all around the room), and while Rachel stood and stared in awe and confusion, she watched as he was engulfed in various embraces, from Puck (who punched him in the shoulder before planting a wet kiss against his forehead) to Kurt (who rolled his eyes in a Kurt Hummel fashion before hugging his brother tightly). Rachel knew that she had to go and compliment his amazing talent, and that she had to tell him that she appreciated his apology, but so many people were watching her, waiting for a response, so she disappeared out of the back of the bar, trying to get away from all of the noise.

He'd sung for her, he was sorry for hurting her, but what did any of that mean in the grand scheme of things? She'd dealt so long with trying to hide her emotions and her true feelings for this boy, and now she was having trouble distinguishing between love and despair, right and wrong and _everything_. She stumbled into one of the store rooms that housed all kinds of drinks and supplies, and as she tried to calm her breathing, she leant up against the wall, her heart pounding loudly and thickly in her ears.

"Rachel." Her gaze snapped towards the only door where Finn Hudson lingered, his face unreadable. "We need to talk." She could see his shoulders shaking as much as she was, and she could see the fear in his eyes that were mirrored in her own, but she could also see the gentle smile on his lips that had already formed on her face.

"I'm sorry," they both said in unison, and a bashful yet comfortable laugh was shared between the two of them.

"I shouldn't have kissed you-"

"I shouldn't have led you on-"

"I shouldn't have yelled at you-"

"I shouldn't have stormed out-"

They paused at the same time, and while Rachel's eyes flickered with self doubt, Finn's seemed to grow brighter as he gained enough confidence for what he was about to do next.

"I love you, Rachel," he said, almost pathetically, his voice hoarse and his body still shaking. "I've always loved you, and for so long I've just... I've just ignored my feelings because I was too stubborn to accept that I had a part to play in what broke us up." His lip quivered as he gulped several times over. "When I was moping on my own today, I noticed the hickey you left on my neck, and when I saw it, I felt proud to show it off. I've been numb for so long. I'm happy, sure, but I didn't sing because it meant that I had to open myself up, and I didn't drink because I was worried I'd realise how much of an ass I've been. God, I've been an ass." He groaned as ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head as he tried to stay focused. "All that crap I said earlier? I was just pissed, but pissed at myself." He took a few steps forward while Rachel remained rooted to the spot in shock. "Because, truthfully? I wanted that kiss more than anything, but I didn't wanna risk-"

"Having your heart broken again," Rachel said in barely more than a whisper, her voice choked and emotional.

"Yeah..."

Finn stared at Rachel, trying to read her expression, and Rachel looked back at Finn, trying to establish whether he was telling the truth.

"I didn't want to be a waitress," she finally admitted, causing Finn's eyebrows to raise in surprise. "I'd done such a great job at pretending that I was okay without you, and when I heard about the auditions, I knew that I couldn't be sucked in by false hope." Her eyes shimmered for a moment as she took a deep breath. "And then I heard a girl talking about how she wanted to make you hers, and everything I'd tried hard to bury came flooding back to the surface because..." She gulped, her voice cracking as she whispered, "Because I've never stopped loving you, Finn."

Finn was the first to close the distance between them as he swept Rachel up in his arms, pressing his lips to hers as he pulled her against his chest. His fingers curled in her hair while his tongue gently teased her mouth open, and though he was half waiting for her to bite him and push him away, that fear passed as he felt her ease into his embrace, sighing against his lips as her arms tightened around his neck.

"Babe," he murmured, breaking away from the kiss so he could nip gently at her jaw, "Is this what you want?"

Rachel's eyelids fluttered as she let out a satisfied sigh; every inch of her body was reacting to Finn's touch and God, she'd missed that more than she could say. "Yes, very much so."

"Then let's go back to mine," he said huskily, and Rachel's eyes shot open as she spluttered.

"B-back to yours? As in- Finn?"

He stopped what he was doing, and worried he'd crossed a line, he pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. "It's okay, I'm sorry, I know it's too fast and I'm happy just to be-"

"I'm still a virgin." The words tumbled out of Rachel's mouth in a whisper so quiet that Finn wondered if he'd made it up. "I want to, Finn, I do, but..."

"But nothing," he said firmly, resting his hands on her waist. "If you're not ready, I can wait, I-"

"_No_." She bit her lip, her eyes gleaming as she panted a little, her cheeks still flushed and her hair slightly mussed. "That's not what I'm saying... I'm ready to... I'm ready to sleep with you if you don't mind that I'm still a-"

Finn's mouth on hers and the protective hand on her butt was enough of an answer, and as they slipped out of the back entrance of the bar, Rachel felt a new kind of thrill racing through her body.

This was really happening.

**A/N:** Walk through Hell belongs to Say Anything~

Sorry for the huge delay! I'm re-inspired and I'm looking forward to what's to come.

Apart from the fact that I've basically signed my own death warrant by promising sex. I don't know how I'm going to handle this yet; I'm either going to keep it T rated and imply that Finn and Rachel have done it, change it to an M rating and write an embarrassing attempt at smut, or kill them both off so I don't have to deal with any of it (if you have any preferences, let me know, and I'm very open to death suggestions if you have those too :P).

Reviews would mean the world to me, and thanks for being so patient! ~Rachael x


	6. Chapter 6

**The rating for this story has been changed to M because of the language.**

**Oh, and the sex, that might have something to do with it too. Reviews would mean the world to me! ~Rachael x**

The journey back to Finn's apartment wasn't the most romantic of sorts, and though Rachel hadn't been expecting a horse drawn carriage to take them home (not that she would have accepted a ride anyway; the horses were often mistreated and worked into exhaustion), she'd expected it to be natural and comfortable and all kinds of hot. Instead, it was the exact opposite.

For starters, they found through experience that walking and making out at the same time was harder than it sounded, especially in the dark. For one thing, while Rachel's lips became sore at her refusal to stop kissing Finn, she was given the fun task of walking backwards, while attached to said boy. Though he tried to steer her in the right direction, keeping his eyes closed while he manoeuvred them was a little tricky, and more than once, Finn had to pause to take in their surroundings.

It wasn't so fun when the two of them bumped into an elderly couple and almost knocked over a little old lady, and though Rachel nearly wet herself with laughter when the woman began hitting Finn relentlessly with her purse, it was still pretty humiliating for both of them (not that it deterred them; all Finn had to say was how sexy it was when Rachel laughed, and before he could count to three, she was wrapped around his body again, making noises that gave him butterflies). People wolf whistled and jeered respectively, but as far as the two of them were concerned, they were just making up for lost time.

"Come on," Finn finally breathed, and he signalled for a cab while he tried to prise himself away from the intoxicating touch of his girlfriend (though he hadn't officially asked her out, he assumed they were already there). As a taxi pulled up and Rachel reluctantly unhooked her arms from around his neck, Finn felt an uncomfortable tug on his stomach; oh God, this was gonna be embarrassing.

"Where to?"

"Erm, the uh, the nearest convenience store, please." Rachel looked curiously across at Finn as he stumbled into the car beside her, and though she was desperate to know what was wrong, he didn't say a word to her, but tried striking up conversation with the cabdriver instead. She tried not to worry about it and blamed it instead on her need for perfection; part of that need included the expectancy that the two of them would continue to make out in the back of the cab while the driver tutted in disgust (or thought to himself 'Ah, I remember the days when I was young and in love'). Of course it was cliché, and sure, she wasn't usually the girl who was comfortable with enjoying more than a quick peck on the cheek in public, but this was different; this was meant to be. She _wanted_ people to know how madly in love they were, and she _wanted_ people to know that they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and she just _wanted_ to know, and make sure, that Finn was serious about the two of them, and that he wasn't looking for a quick fling.

"Rach, can you stay in the cab while I um, grab something from the store?"

Rachel was about to protest, but the driver got in there first. "Sorry mate, you'll both have to get out and catch another cab when you're done."

Finn sighed but didn't complain as he paid the fare and, with an unfamiliar flush across his cheeks, led Rachel into the store.

"Something's bothering you," she said as she took his hand, squeezing it as a way of showing him it was okay. "What is it, Finn?"

"I need to buy something." He didn't elaborate, but as he pulled her towards a certain section of the store, Rachel felt her whole body blush unceremoniously; condoms.

"Oh, you don't um, you don't have any back at your apartment?" She tried to keep her voice as normal as she could, but if anything, it just made her sound condescending.

"No, I uh, umm, nope, I must have ran out after all the other times." Finn winced as he gazed down at her. "Not that I'm saying I've slept with loads of girls or anything, but the normal amount that guys my age do, yeah..."

Fondly, a smile tugging at her lips, Rachel pressed a kiss to Finn's arm, still holding his hand. "You've only slept with Santana, haven't you?" She knew that she might have been completely off base since she barely knew anything about Finn's new lifestyle, and she readied herself for his outrage if she was wrong and had just insulted his self confidence. She wasn't sure what made her think that he hadn't slept around, but the only conclusion she could come to was this; he was Finn Hudson, and after their breakup, she guessed that he'd only have sex again if he was in love; she felt giddy at the connotations.

"God, is it that obvious?" he said with a groan. "It's not that I haven't, like, had offers and uh, you know, women are always throwing themselves at me but..." With his free hand, he picked up a box of condoms, not really paying attention to them as he bit his lip in thought. "It's hard to explain, Rach. In high school, I hated being on my own. I was so glad that Quinn had chosen to date me 'cause she kept me organised and helped me stay popular, and it was cool, not having to really think or do anything for myself." He panicked for a second, worried that Rachel would be alienated by talk of his ex-girlfriend, but if anything, she seemed completely enraptured. "That's not to say I was completely happy, 'cause I definitely wasn't, but then I started dating you and even though it was all a bit overwhelming, it was still nice for a while."

"I'm sorry that I pressured you into a relationship," Rachel said quietly, her fingers squeezing his.

"S'okay, honestly." He grinned at her and pressed a loving kiss to the top of her head; he had things to say, even if they were standing in the middle of a store, conversing by the overly large condom selection. "When I broke up with you, the freedom was nice. I suddenly felt like I could do whatever I wanted, like dating tons of girls and all that kind of thing, but when I realised what freedom was, without you, I hated it again. And then Jesse-" Finn shook his head, hiding the snarl from his voice. "Dating you the second time round was pretty much perfect, and it beat being on my own."

Rachel shifted uncomfortably beside him. "I know what comes next."

"I know, I'm sorry, but you'll hear me out, right?" At a nod of confirmation, Finn continued. "When we broke up, _again_, the only thing I wanted more than getting back together with you was being alone. Sure, Santana might have tried to make a move, as did a few other random girls at school, but the way I saw it, and still see it, is what's the point of being in a relationship when you know that at the end of it, you're not going to work out? I was an idiot the first time I broke up with you, Rach. I was blinded by the fact that I could have anyone I wanted, and when it came down to it, I only ever wanted you." Finn's voice became softer, and Rachel watched his face in complete adoration. "I knew that a relationship with anyone other than you would never work, so I tried to enjoy being single, and I did, for a while. It's been the same for me now. I've had so many offers from girls who just want me for my money and fame and everything in between, but it's obvious that it would never work out, so I haven't been in a relationship since you."

"Maybe if you'd given people the chance, it might have become something special?"

Finn grinned, nodding reluctantly. "That's the same thing Quinn said. She tried setting me up with a few of her friends, and I went on a couple of first dates, but they were casual things, like going to see movies and stuff. It was never the same as..."

"As?" Rachel asked, her heart in her throat. Talking about this, Finn looked so _vulnerable_, like he was spilling hundreds of secrets, and forgetting everything else that had happened, Rachel wanted to wrap him in a hug.

"As you, as us." He shrugged in a noncommittal way to try and hide the fact that he was feeling emotional. "Once you've felt the spark, the spark that we'd had, everything else feels like a disappointment."

"Have you felt that spark since?"

A smile spread across Finn's face as he licked his lips and nodded, his eyes shining. "Oh yeah, totally; some awesome girl woke me up this morning by kissing me, and now I'm completely besotted with her."

Rachel giggled as a blush danced across her cheeks, and if she hadn't been sure before, she was positive now that they were doing the right thing. "So, protection," she said coyly, swinging his hand with hers as she scanned the infinite rows of condoms before them. "Any idea what's hot and what's not?"

"Honestly? Nope." They both laughed in unison, and though it was still a little weird, they were comfortable with each other, even if they were both clueless. "Do they do extra extra large sizes?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow at him before glancing down at his pants. "Extra _extra_ large? I hope you're not lying, Mr Hudson, or I'm going to be very disappointed." She stuck her tongue out at him as he returned the gesture, and they both decided to choose a brand each; Finn went with a pack that helped prolong intercourse with some kind of numbing agent (he was pretty sure he was over his mailman days but he couldn't be too careful) and Rachel went with a selection that claimed to taste of strawberries (which she hoped were vegan friendly).

"Okay, let's go and buy these and then we can put them to good use," Finn whispered in her ear, and Rachel shivered in longing as she followed him to the checkout where a middle aged man waited for them. Thanks to her quick reflexes, she managed to stop Finn from punching the guy when he started undressing her with his eyes and asked if there was 'room for a third'.

"Fucking creep, hitting on you like that," Finn hissed as he led Rachel out of the store, the vein on his neck sticking out in anger. "Who the hell does he think he is? And how old was he to be asking you that? Pervert."

Rachel didn't say anything as she listened to Finn rant, because as disturbing as the man had been, his comments had been worth it; a pissed Finn made for an especially hot Finn.

"Thank you for sticking up for me," she finally said, and all his anger faded away at the sound of her voice; it was almost _husky_.

"Anytime," he said a little hoarsely, and while they waited a for a cab to appear, the two of them simply looked at each other, wondering how it was possible that they'd spent so much time apart.

Eventually, Finn was able to hail a cab, and the time for kissing frantically had come and gone. Instead, and just as happy to do so, Rachel snuggled up against Finn's protective arms that wrapped themselves around her body while his hands stroked her knees; there was no point in rushing the inevitable.

Before they knew it, they were standing in the living room of Finn's apartment, and it was suddenly clear that they were _actually _going to do it. This was the moment Finn had dreamed a _lot_ about, and this was the moment Rachel had hardly believed would happen.

"So," Finn said with a grin, his heart hammering a little too fast against his ribs, "I guess this is it."

"Yeah," Rachel said, returning his smile, "I guess it is."

Finn took a moment to look at the girl in front of him, and not just in a way that focused on her awesome boobs and even awesomer ass. Everything about Rachel Berry was perfect, and he wasn't just thinking that out of obligation. Back in high school, he'd been congratulated for dating Quinn, for being the boyfriend of the hot blonde head cheerleader, and he'd taken the comments of other people without much thought.

No one had congratulated him for bagging the hot brunette co-captain of glee club (unless you counted Jacob Ben Israel, and he certainly hadn't). He hadn't understood it at the time, and he understood it even less as he stared at her now, years after high school. Who the fuck cared about hair colour and sports? When it all came down to it, Finn would choose Rachel over Quinn every time, over Brittany and Tina and Mercedes and every single girl he'd ever met because seriously, she really was perfect. The way her eyes shimmered, the chocolate brown of her irises shining with emotion, and the way her pretty plump lips would wrinkle as she bit them with nerves, and the way she'd smile like she was the luckiest girl alive; it all added up to a beautiful young woman... a beautiful young woman who was waiting for him to make love to her.

That was what it was; Finn had no doubt about that. He knew with one hundred percent certainty that there'd be time in the future for hot, passionate sex against every possible surface, multiple times a day until they both collapsed out of exhaustion.

That time wasn't now though, and Finn was determined to make her first time as special as he could.

"Is something wrong Finn?" Rachel's small smile turned into a look of worry, and Finn closed the gap between them before taking her hands and staring into her eyes.

"Not at all. I just wanted to say that you're _so_ beautiful, babe, and I really do love you."

It was as simple as that. Finn slowly lowered his mouth to hers, and all of the urgency from before melted away when the two of them realised that they had all the time in the world to get reacquainted with each other. As carefully as he could, Finn scooped Rachel up into his arms, never breaking from the soft, tender kisses she was placing on his mouth, and he carried her to his bedroom, letting the light from the hallway interrupt the darkness.

"I love you too," she murmured against his lips, and while Finn lowered her onto the bed, she simply watched him, her eyes wide and her chest heaving. "I feel silly saying this, but... Finn, you will be gentle, won't you?"

When she felt Finn pepper kisses across her neck, it answered her question for her. Her eyelids flickered in satisfaction as she let out a low hum, and she ran her fingers through his hair while sighing breathlessly.

"I promise I'll be careful." His mouth, which had been making its way over her throat, latched itself to Rachel's earlobe, tugging softly with his teeth before his tongue soothed the tender skin. "It might hurt, but I promise I'll look after you."

"I know you will."

Practically purring as Finn paid careful attention to the pulse point on her neck, Rachel let out a tiny gasp when she felt his hands graze over her breasts. Though they were still fully clothed, it had been so long since they'd shared such intimate contact that it ignited her body in a way that she hadn't known possible. Instead of pulling away like she used to, Rachel took to unbuttoning the simple black shirt that she was wearing (she'd wanted to make an effort at the bar, and Kurt had deemed her outfit 'stylishly fabulous'), eliciting a groan from the boy who was hovering above her.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," he whispered, sucking roughly on her jaw as he helped ease her shirt from her body.

"Me neither; you're not having second thoughts, are you, Finny D?" Rachel teased, trying to act blasé while Finn stared at her bra-clad breasts for the very first time. She watched, aroused, as he licked his lips, unashamedly memorising every bit of her chest, and as he sucked in his breath with a grunt, she felt a warmth rush through body and pool between her legs, causing her to blush wildly.

"N-not at all," he spluttered. His hands shaking like a leaf, Finn gently lifted Rachel up so he could unclasp her bra, and then holy fuck, there she was, half naked and sprawled across his bed, and-

Mailman mailman mailman.

"Can I...?"

"You don't need to ask permission, Finn."

"Okay."

Taking a deep breath (and replaying the mailman crash over and over in his head), Finn slowly lowered himself down, careful not to squash her, and pressed his mouth to one of her nipples, his eyes practically bugging out of his head. He could hear her let out a breathy gasp, and though he really had no clue what the hell he was supposed to do, he decided that the best way was to learn by doing.

His voice catching in his throat, Finn pressed small kisses over her left breast, slowly learning the curves of her body and the feel of her soft skin against his mouth. The more attention he paid to her, the harder her nipple became, and even if he'd never done anything like it before, he decided to go with his instincts, and wrapped his tongue around the stiff peak of her breast, sucking gently as his eyes tried to find hers.

Expecting to see her watching him, he had to stop himself from blowing his load there and then because Rachel had her head pressed against his pillow, her eyes scrunched tightly together, her cheeks flushed with colour, and a silent moan riding on her lips.

Mailman mailman mailman.

With new found confidence that his actions were having a positive effect on her, Finn quickened his movements, swirling his tongue over her nub before grazing his teeth across her skin. Even though he was still shaking like a pansy, he ran a hand over her right breast, gently kneading at her while he continued to suck and nip.

"Mmmm, _Finn."_

Holy shit, was that a moan?

"Yeah babe?" He sat up a little, one hand still tracing circles over her breast as he watched her, worried he'd done something wrong. Rachel's eyes opened, and with slight confusion flashing in her eyes, she shook her head.

"Sorry, I- That wasn't a-" She giggled nervously and shrugged. "That was me just um, m-moaning your name."

Fucking hell, so it really _was_ a moan.

"Oh... Awesome."

Rachel giggled again, and Finn found himself laughing along with her because for one thing, her voice was infectious, and for another, well, _everything_.

"Come here," she whispered, her hair all mussed and her cheeks still warm and red. Without a second thought, Finn scooted up to meet her kiss, sighing into her mouth as she tugged gently on his hair. Their lips were meant for each other, he was positive, and all the soul mate stuff? It had to be true, because he'd never known lips that worked so well with his. He felt her tease his mouth open with her tongue, and he gladly submitted to her control, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as their tongues tangled together, searching and colliding.

"_Rach,_" he murmured, rolling her on top of him as his hands ran down her back. To his dismay, she broke away from their kiss, a smirk tugging at her mouth.

"Yeah baby?" she whispered devilishly, and Finn couldn't help but roll his eyes with a laugh.

"Alright, alright, humiliate me even more why don't-"

He was interrupted by the crashing of her lips on his, and felt no need to complain. All their past problems, all their worries and insecurities and everything that had plagued them during their relationship melted away at the moment that Finn felt Rachel unzip his pants because nobody was perfect, and the girl on top of him was probably the closest he was going to find.

Finn waited for her to pull down his jeans while he continued to kiss her, but when she broke away _again_, and when he saw the look of frustration on her face, he wondered if he'd done something wrong after all.

"Rach, is something-"

"This is the most ridiculous piece of clothing I have ever had the displeasure of encountering," she said with a huff. Finn glanced down at the prominent bulge in his pants, and bit back a laugh as he saw her struggling to undo the zipper and belt.

"Need some help?"

"No!" She huffed again, batting his hand away. "I can do this on my own, thank you very much."

Finn chuckled to himself as he rested his head against his pillow, watching her with a constant grin as she fumbled and tugged at his pants, getting more and more frustrated with every failed attempt. "You sure?"

"What kind of company designs and manufactures jeans that are impossible to- I did it, Finn, I did it!" Rachel's squeals filled the room as she proudly pulled the pants from Finn's legs, completely ignoring his less than concealed arousal straining through his boxer briefs. "Did you see? I did it all by myself!"

"Yeah, I did, that was epic babe; you deserve some kind of award."

God, he loved Rachel Berry. They there were, Rachel topless and Finn pantless, and even if they were both nervous and inexperienced, it didn't show because they were both just _comfortable_, comfortable with each other and comfortable in themselves.

"An award? That's a splendid idea. I may have to abandon our attempts at intercourse to write my acceptance speech."

They shared another laugh that lasted a whole of five seconds before their mouths collided again, and Finn made sure to help Rachel unbutton his shirt (as adorable as it was when she struggled with undressing him, the more time that passed, the more impatient Finn felt himself become),. She pressed her breasts up against his bare chest with a quiet moan, and before he knew it, Finn was grinding his hips against her leg.

"Shit, sorry Rach, I didn't- It just feels so good and-"

"Don't apologise," she breathed against his ear. Her tongue flitted against his skin, barely brushing over his skin, and Finn felt his whole body shudder in response. "It's hot."

Involuntarily, Finn bucked his hips, once against pressing his erection flush against her. Thinking briefly back to his one and only sexual experience with (he still had a problem even thinking her name), Finn couldn't recall ever feeling so, well, _horny_, and aforementioned girl had had her fair share of guys to learn from.

Finn smiled as he softly nipped at Rachel's shoulder; _this_ was what it was supposed to feel like, and they'd barely even done anything.

Except Rachel had decided to do something about that, and when her tiny hands tightened themselves around Finn's clothed length, he let out a noise that was an embarrassing mash up of a groan and a whimper.

"Is that okay?" she asked quietly, trailing her hand up and down his erection.

"Umf, yeah, God, that's a-awesome," Finn choked as he dragged his nails down her back; if he wasn't careful, he wouldn't be able to last until they actually did it. As a way of distracting himself, he turned his attention to Rachel's skirt. He tried to look for a zipper or something, and when his hands had grazed her butt with no such luck (though, he had to admit, he _loved_ Rachel's butt, and that in itself had been somewhat of an experience), he took to just yanking it down her body, his breathing quickening when Rachel helped remove it completely.

She was sitting on top of him, her hands roaming his chest, in just a pair of lace panties; who'd have thought it?

Finn smiled widely, cupping her face with a sigh. "You're beautiful, Rachel Berry."

"Not as beautiful as you, Finn Hudson." Their lips met for a tender, lingering kiss, and then they reached for their underwear, their fingers shaking and their breath hitching in unison until they were both stark naked, pressed against each other in the near dark. "Which shall we use first?" Rachel asked, looking down at Finn with a new kind of intrigue in her eyes.

"The strawberry ones; it's your first time, and I smelt them in the cab; they're pretty sweet." Rachel giggled, nodded, then grabbed one of the chosen packets from the bedside table. With trembling hands, she managed to open the wrapper, though she froze when she realised what followed. The smile on Finn's lips disappeared in an instant, and he sat up, stroking her hair as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Babe, it's okay, we don't have to do this."

"No, I want to, I just-" Her gaze flickered from his caring brown eyes to his, his- She gulped. _His huge erection,_ and she was so far out of her depth. "Will you help and um, show me how to...?" She held the condom lamely in her hands, feeling like a complete fool for being such a novice at everything, and for a split second, she expected Finn to laugh in her face and tell her that she was a prude.

"Of course babe," he said soothingly, kissing her cheek once more. "You don't need to worry about stuff like this, okay? We're both learning, in a way, and besides..." Rachel looked back at Finn's face, and grinned when she saw him wiggle his eyebrows. "Practice makes perfect."

Taking the condom from her hands, Finn slowly, and a little shakily, began rolling it down his length, joined shortly by Rachel, who pulled it down until he was completely covered. "Easier than I thought," she said with a confident nod. "We might indeed need to practice a few times, but not now." Finn breathed a silent sigh of relief; he wasn't sure he could wait much longer. "Now... Now I want you to make love to me, Finn Hudson."

Hearing the invitation fall from her lips, Finn pressed Rachel against his bed, positioning himself over her while his tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth in concentration. When she nodded, her eyes large and shimmery and all kinds of perfect, Finn pressed the tip of his member against her entrance, waited until she nodded again, and then he eased himself inside her, trying to be as slow and gentle as he could be under the circumstances.

He knew the basics about girls losing their virginities thanks to a one-off sex ed class that he'd been subjected to in seventh grade, and though he hadn't understood half of what the video had talked about (it had pretty much consisted of a lot of information about sexually transmitted diseases which, come on, weren't sexy or interesting), the thing about first times had stuck with him.

Girls had some kind of thin skin... thing inside them (he was sure it began with a h but Finn couldn't remember the exact name), and when they had sex for the first time, the dude's boner would press against it, and it would rip. The only real reason Finn remembered this was because A) it had grossed him the fuck out and B) he'd felt sorry for girls because from what he'd heard, sex was suppose to feel good, not make people cry.

Even though that had been years ago, nothing had changed in the way that it happened, and Finn felt like a jerk for wanting to sleep with Rachel. Yeah, she wanted it too, but at what cost? It was going to hurt her, that was for sure, and it seemed like a shitty, selfish thing for him to do.

Easing himself in further, and clenching his teeth to stop himself from moaning out her name, he watched her face intently, trying to gauge her reaction. "Babe, it's gonna h-hurt, and I'm really sorry, I am."

"I know," she said, scrunching her eyes closed. "J-just, just do it Finn, g-get it over with."

Fuck, so much for dirty talk; Rachel sounded terrified, and it wasn't really helping his guilt. "Rachel, are you sure that-"

"Please, I want this, I want _you_." She opened her eyes briefly, giving him a small but tender smile, and with a reluctant nod, Finn forced himself in further, trying to hold back from showing how _awesome_ it felt so that he could be somewhat supportive.

For a second, Rachel seemed to be enjoying it, and he wondered if the skin thing had already broken before they'd even done it. He allowed himself to relax, to savour the experience of being _inside_ her, but then it happened, and Finn had to watch as Rachel's face went from a smile to a whimper of pain.

"Rach, I'm sorry, I-"

"Just be quiet, please," she said in a half sob while her fingers dug into her palms, tears trickling down her face. "It hurts, Finn."

Without moving his hips, he leaned in to press kisses all over her face, trying desperately to stop the pain that she was feeling, his heart breaking at the way she shook and cried.

"I love you Rachel, I love you." He brushed her hair with his fingers, still trying his best to stay still, and though he wanted nothing more than to move in and out of her, he waited, wondering what happened next.

He'd never really given the actual process much thought. Yeah, he knew that her first time would be painful, but was that it? Like, was he supposed to carry on, even if she was hurting, or was he supposed to call it a day and try again another time? Crap, he should have done some research or something; he was never prepared for anything.

"I think that's it," she whispered, hiccupping a little. "It doesn't hurt as much now; maybe we could try...?"

"You sure?"

Rachel nodded, managing a smile. "You're lovely, you know that?" Rachel shifted her hips against his as a way of testing the water, and though she felt a slight sting, she knew that the worst had passed. "Love me, Finn."

And he tried his very best. Hesitantly, his face guarded and his movements controlled, Finn began a slow rhythm, pressing himself inside her before pulling out, all the while watching for her response. The quicker his actions became, the more Rachel's face became one of enjoyment, and when she let out a satisfied sigh and a murmur of his name, Finn knew that they'd successfully passed their first hurdle.

He didn't last long after that. The noises that were coming from Rachel's mouth, and the constant knowledge that he was _actually_ doing her after years of waiting, made even the mailman pretty useless, though he tried to hold out for as long as he could.

Rachel bucked her hips to match Finn's speed, and though she could still feel a dull pain, it was overpowered by the welcoming wave of pleasure and excitement that engulfed her body and made her whimper and moan and shudder and cry out Finn's name. She writhed underneath him, unsure of how to please him in the same way, though judging by the expression on his face, he was enjoying it just as much as her.

Rachel could feel a tingling in her stomach that flooded down to the rest of her body, and almost positive that she was close to the edge, she curled her fingers into the covers of Finn's bed, her chest heaving. She'd been expecting some kind of tickling sensation to tip her over, but what she _hadn't_ been expecting was Finn's fingers brushing over her wet folds as he thrust into her. He pressed against one particular spot, the bundle of quivering nerves that she was too embarrassed to acknowledge, and her mouth formed a perfect o as she came, every part of her shuddering as she rode it out.

Finn came straight after. He dug his fingers into her waist as he moaned her name (and a few strong curse words), and perfectly in time with one another, they came down from their high, lying side by side as they panted in surprise. Thinking it the courteous thing to do, Rachel removed the used condom from Finn and hurried to dispose of it before sinking back down on the bed, curling her sweaty body around him.

"Again, Rachel, I'm really sorry that I hurt you," Finn whispered, trying to catch his breath as he snaked his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't apologise; I've always believed that you'd be my first, and I'm _so_ glad you were." She pressed a soft kiss to his chest before sighing with a smile, looking him at him as best she could. "Was it... was it okay for you?" She didn't dare ask 'was it better with Santana?' because she dreaded that the answer would be yes, but once again, she needn't have worried.

"It was more than okay, it was _epic_." Finn winced, realising his mistake. "I mean, apart from seeing you cry, that was anything but."

"Practice makes perfect," Rachel said with a yawn, and as she snuggled her face against his chest, Finn smiled as he kissed the top of her head.

"You're totally right."

**A/N: **Yes? No? Fancy a chat? You can find me on tumblr at **finchel**. Again, reviews would be great if you have the time x


	7. Chapter 7

Rachel wasn't sure when she'd fallen asleep, or what time it was as she snuggled closer to the person beside her, but after several pinches of her skin, she was sure that she wasn't dreaming; it really was Finn's naked body that was holding her protectively as he slept.

She'd half expected to feel embarrassed, mortified, humiliated and every word under the sun that she'd consult a thesaurus for later, but it was quite the opposite. Instead of regretting what they'd done the night before (or an hour before, she still wasn't sure what time it was), Rachel felt nothing but happiness, something she'd been living without for too many years.

As she shifted a little to cuddle him properly, she winced and let out a small gasp of pain. She was already feeling sore, but that was to be expected (wasn't it? She assumed it was normal after losing her- oh wow, she'd _actually_ lost her virginity, and to Finn Hudson no less!). She smiled in the darkness, not caring that her whole body flushed with warmth. Either way, she assumed that it would soon wear off, and then they'd just do it all over again until she couldn't walk properly.

Out of nowhere, Finn's cell phone began to play 'You're the one that I want' in an overly loud fashion, and while she wanted to press a hand to her heart at his choice of song, Rachel was too busy covering her ears at the unwelcome sound.

"Sssh, go back to sleep, s'probably just Kurt," Finn muttered, snaking his arm around her waist with a sleepy sigh. She tried to follow his advice, and buried her face across his chest, but the noise was relentless and, oh, _loud_, it was so _loud_. "Fuck, I swear, it better be something important." His hair mussed and an agitated frown on his face, Finn sat up (though he was careful not to send Rachel flying, and he held one of her hands as he fumbled to find his phone, something that she appreciated immensely). "Wha' do you want?" he snarled drowsily, barely pronouncing his words. "I dunno, I was sleeping!" Rachel watched him anxiously, and though it was dark, the light in the hallway had been left on, allowing her to keep her eyes on Finn's face. "Is it?" He sounded confused, and she watched with an affectionate smile as he consulted the non-existent watch on his wrist before sighing with a growl. "Kurt, can't you just handle it yourself? I know you're capa- No, I'm not saying that for Christ's sake!" Finn looked down at Rachel and gave her an apologetic smile.

"It's okay," she whispered, pressing a kiss to the palm of his hand.

"You think I'm taking advantage of you, really? I'm not the one who stops by your work place and takes over every little thing though am I? I'm not complaining, but you're making me sound like the fucking bad guy! Yeah, I know, but you're pissing me off, I'm tired, and I curse when I'm agitated; deal with it." He rolled his eyes at Rachel, and though she could tell he was genuinely frustrated, she could make out the way his lips quirked in slight amusement.

Without thinking about it, she knelt forward with his hand still in hers, and pressed a soft, needy kiss to his mouth, her eyes fluttering closed at the same time his did. She could feel the way he wanted to respond, and could sense the need to kiss her back, but being closer to his cell, she could hear how angry Kurt was, and she reconsidered hanging up on him so they could attempt round two.

Instead, Rachel pulled the phone from Finn's hand, and with a little huff, she clutched it to her ear. "Kurt, it's Rachel. What seems to be the problem?"

"_Oh so you _are_ alive! It was _so _nice of the two of you to skip out of the bar without telling anyone where you were going, especially since it's Finn's establishment!"_

"We're truly sorry about that, but we got caught up in the moment and we wanted to set things right. Isn't that what you wanted?"

She could hear him falter, and Finn held up his hand for a high five, which Rachel gladly graced him with. "_Y-yes, but-"_

"I know that it was inconsiderate of us to leave without alerting anyone, but the only reason we did such a thing is because we both know how wonderful you are at managing the bar. If it had just been Noah and the other staff members, we would have never considered such a reckless thing, but you're trustworthy and we knew you wouldn't let us down."

While Finn listened in awe at the way Rachel calmed Kurt down, he felt a whole lot of things that were making his head spin. The one feeling that stuck out though, the one thing that made him, dare he think it, _swoon_, was the way Rachel kept saying we. _We_ did such a thing, _we_ would have never, inconsiderate of _us_. It was probably nothing, and it was probably some silly detail that he shouldn't have noticed, but God, he _loved_ hearing that; they were actually together again.

"Yes, yes, exactly, you are _extremely _talented Kurt." Rachel held back a giggle, and when Finn shifted so he could pull her into his lap, she didn't resist, despite the fact that were still both naked. "So, what's the problem other than that? ...oh, I see. I um, yes, he's still sitting here. Right, no, I think that's wise, thanks for letting me know Kurt. Are you sure you'll be okay running everything yourself? Of course, okay, good night!" Finally, Rachel hung up before squinting at the time on his cell phone; they'd been asleep for less than an hour.

"What's up babe?" Finn asked. He buried his head against her neck, peppering kisses along her shoulders that sent several shivers up her spine.

"N-nothing, he was just a little angry that we'd left him to deal with everything," she murmured with a sigh, melting at his touch, though it didn't last long as he pulled away with a frown.

"No, I know that. You asked if there was another problem, Kurt asked where I was, and then you were talking about it; what's wrong?"

"Can we leave it until morning, please?" Rachel twisted her body so that she was facing him, and though Finn wanted to tell her to just admit that there was a problem, her huge puppy dog eyes and her juicy pout were wreaking havoc on his emotions.

"Babe, if it's something important..."

"It's not," she insisted, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "At least, it's something that can be dealt with tomorrow." Finn didn't have the chance to protest because as he returned her kiss, she pressed him down onto the bed, staring at him with what could only be described as hunger in her eyes. "If I wasn't still feeling the effects from the first time, I'd tell you to take me here and now." Rachel leaned into his body and grazed her lips over his jaw, dragging her tongue over his skin while relishing the way Finn's breath hitched. "But as such, I need a little while longer to recover, so we'll have to be patient."

Finn gulped and gave a quick nod, trying not to stare at her awesome boobs that hung from her awesome body in her current awesome position. "Okay, I can be patient."

"Good." Rachel rewarded him with a slow, deep kiss that sucked all of the air from Finn's chest as her tongue dipped into his mouth, exploring every possible part of their embrace. Her lips worked in harmony with his while her teeth occasionally nipped and teased him, but finally, just before Finn was sure he was either going to pass out from lack of oxygen or pass out at how fucking hot one kiss could be, she pulled away and slid her body beside his once more, curling against him. "Finn?"

"Y-yeah babe?" he whispered hoarsely, suddenly feeling very aroused.

"You know that I love you, right? Please don't forget that."

A wide smile spread across his face as he pulled her closer, savouring the way she fit so perfectly beside him. "I'll never forget, and I love you too."

**Glee!**

"Cockadoodledoo!"

Rachel's eyes fluttered open as she felt Finn's warm breath tickle against her ear. Slightly disorientated, she batted him away in attempt to get more sleep, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to grant her that luxury.

"I'm Finn the cock, and I'm telling you it's time to wake up." A fit of giggles signalled that she was awake. "Was it something I said?"

Rachel pulled herself up to sit beside him while she rubbed roughly at her tired eyes, a grin playing on her lips; he was so adorable, and she was having a hard time being unaffected by every little detail about him. "Finn the cock; really?"

"It's just another word for a cockerel!" he said indignantly with a shake of his head. "Besides, you saying there's something wrong with that nickname?"

"Not at all," she said quietly, because all of a sudden, it dawned on her that it was much brighter than the night before and Finn was now dressed and she-

Well, Rachel was still naked, and Finn wasn't hiding his attempts to stare at her body which, in broad daylight, was less amusing and flattering than it had been the night before. Without another word, Rachel jumped off of the bed and grabbed the first piece of clothing she could find, which happened to be one of Finn's overly huge shirts. Not one to complain, she slipped it over her head, almost got lost in the sea of fabric and the perfect smell that was Finn, then settled back down feeling much more comfortable.

"It's a good thing I got a good look while you were still snoring," Finn said with a smirk.

"Finn!" Rachel slapped his arm in a playful manner before hanging her head in her hands; this was going to be difficult to get used to. "That's- that's deplorable, and I do _not_ snore!"

"Babe, I'm kidding, I'm kidding! You don't snore, but you make _the_ cutest snuffly sounds while you sleep; it's super adorable."

Rachel risked a glance at his face to check if he was lying, but when she saw nothing but a genuine smile, she loosened up and giggled shyly. "Cute and super adorable I can handle." Without warning, Finn's lips met hers, though she didn't fight him, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she sighed into his mouth. One of her favourite parts about kissing Finn was how gentle he was with her. Thinking back to their first kiss, she remembered a brief trepidation that he'd somehow squash her due to his size, but if anything, it made him much more careful about handling her, and she _loved_ feeling like he was really looking out for her.

Puck had been a rough, desperate kisser (from what she could remember), and though it had been a slightly exciting change, that slight excitement had soon worn off, and now she only associated it with her attempt at revenge on Finn.

Jesse? His kisses had been extra slobbery, and she'd often wondered if he thought he was some kind of cow as he licked her to death.

No, Finn's kisses were the very best of all, and were the very best thing to wake up to.

"You look sexy in my shirt," he murmured against her lips, and she smiled while her fingers ran through his bed hair.

"You look sexy, period." As Rachel felt her body flush with lust, and as she wondered if it was too soon to sleep with him again, Finn's cell phone started beeping, and the two of them groaned in unison. Reluctantly, Finn dropped her onto the bed as he scrubbed a hand over his face and answered the call.

"Mornin' Kurt," he practically spat, to which Rachel let out a nervous laugh. "To what do I owe the pleasure of such an early call; you're not checking up on me are ya? What? No! Jesus, we're not sex crazed rabbits or something! And anyway, what the hell does it have to do with- Okay, yeah, I'm sorry, just put Puckerman straight; I promise I'm not doing Rachel as we speak."

Rachel's eyes widened as she spluttered to herself; how had she gone from hapless virgin to apparent slut overnight? She'd be having serious words with Noah!

"Yeah, sure thing, see you soon. Love you bro." Finn, half tempted to throw his cell at the wall and have down with it, sighed as he rubbed his temple. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

"Don't you _dare_ say that Finn Hudson." Finn's head snapped up as Rachel suddenly towered over him, her eyes big and shiny and almost lifeless, which was a horrible thing to witness. "I won't allow you to admit that this was a mistake because last night was one of the most amazing-"

Rachel couldn't get used to that, the way that Finn would suddenly launch himself on her, and if she hadn't been so flattered by the way his lips made her feel like the only person in the world, she would have been frustrated. When they'd dated in high school, she'd always had a sneaking suspicion that Finn just kissed her to shut her up, and his strategy hadn't changed at all (silently, she made a note to herself to watch out for it).

He broke away for a moment to cup her face, and Rachel could see her confused eyes reflected in his beautiful brown irises. "Do you ever shut up, babe?"

"_Excuse-"_ There he went again, kissing her and leaving her helpless to his sexy mercy! She knew that she needed to push him away and confront their issues head on but God, the way he kissed her... it didn't seem such a big deal anymore.

But, just like before, he broke away from their embrace, leaving Rachel with red cheeks (partly from affection and partly from pure anger).

"I wasn't talking about _us_, Rachel; I was talking about letting Kurt stay for so long. I never know if he's happy or not working at the bar and he sounds super pissed right now, and I dunno, I'm not sure if it was a good idea to give him so much control over everything." For a second, his face drooped with sadness, and his eyes flickered to the floor, away from Rachel's face. "I'm not gonna lie, it hurts that you'd think that we were-"

Finn was cut short by Rachel's ultra awesome lips on his, and for a few seconds, he had a hard time trying to form any coherent words in his head that weren't 'sex sex sex boobs hot ass sex'. "Hey," he frowned, prising the tiny girl off of his body, "that's my method!"

"Oh, so you _do_ just kiss me when-"

When Finn's tongue trailed the outline of her lips while his hands held her face carefully, Rachel couldn't care less that he was deflecting with his perfect make out skills; she'd have to rant and complain more often.

**Glee!**

Instead of taking a cab up to the bar, Finn volunteered the two of them to walk. Part of it rested in the fact that it was a pleasant day and it was best to make the most of it while they could. The other part? Call him a sap, but Finn loved walking hand in hand with his girlfriend.

Oh, wait, they still hadn't officially confirmed that.

"Hey, babe?"

"Mmmhm?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Rachel's attention had been focused on a couple pushing a stroller in front of them, a dog by their side and balloons tied to the father's hand, and before Finn's question, she'd been fantasising about her future, something which she hadn't done in a very long time. Maybe it was too early to be thinking about marriage and babies, but now that she had Finn again, she was determined to make things work this time; she was confident they could overcome any obstacle together.

"Excuse me?" She looked up at him, half bemused and half completely outraged, but Finn looked genuinely worried, so she refrained from biting his head off.

"Well, we- I know we confessed our love and everything, and then had like, perfect sex, but we never just... We're dating, right? You want to be my girlfriend... don't you?"

The concern in his eyes gave Rachel butterflies. "Of course I do, Finn, and I understand what you mean. Though we didn't explicitly use the words boyfriend and girlfriend and dating, I'm sure that we're past such trivial things." Smiling widely, she squeezed his hand. "I like to think of us as soul mates, which includes dating, and then, of course, marriage and a lifetime of happiness in the future." She snapped her mouth shut and cringed because if she'd learnt anything, it was that men weren't so great at thinking about commitment. "Sorry, I-"

"I've always liked the idea of eloping," Finn mused, smiling at the couple with the baby as they passed them in the street. "I mean, we'll probably have to talk about it because you'll want a huge service with hundreds of guests and everything, but there's something really romantic in just running away together, don't you think?"

"You know..." Rachel nuzzled her nose against his arm and let out a content, 'why is my boyfriend so incredibly dreamy?' sigh. "I really like that idea."

She didn't add that she'd gone off of the idea of a big service because of their argument six years ago.

"_Rach, what's this?"_

"_Finn, I already told you, I really need to get this homework finished and you said you'd let me do that! I-" Rachel turned to face the boy on her bed, her tone exasperated and her forehead a little sweaty, and when she laid eyes on the object in his grasp, she felt her stomach lunge. "What are you doing? H-how did you find that?"_

_Finn held up the book with an incredulous stare, and though she didn't need to read the front cover to know what it was, the words 'Finn and Rachel's Dream Wedding' were visible._

"_I can explain, it's-"_

"_Don't bother." He flicked through the pages while his nose wrinkled in distaste. "You have everything planned out? And God, right down to what flowers you want on the tables!" His eyes widened at one particular page, and though Rachel was desperate to know what had spooked him so badly, she remained quiet; he rarely rose his voice at her. "This is just fucking typical."_

"_I'm sorry Finn, I just love you and-"_

_He cut her off again as he held up the book, and Rachel's eyes lingered on the pictures of various suits for the groom. "What the hell is this?"_

"_M-my favourite suits that I think would look-"_

"_We're still in high school!" He shook his head again and again and again, and then out of nowhere, Finn began to cry, his sobs robbing her of coherent words. "R-Rachel..."_

_In an instant, Rachel was by his side, wrapping him in a hug as he rested his face on her shoulder. She could feel his tears seeping into her favourite sweater and could feel his fingers cling to her body and it took all she had not to join in with his crying, even if she had no idea what had caused him to collapse into her arms. "I love you, Finn Hudson, and I'm so sorry for hurting you," she whispered soothingly, trying to keep her emotions under control. Truth be told, she really was sorry, even though she wasn't sure what she was sorry for._

"_No, s-sorry, I shouldn't have kicked off." He hiccupped, his cheek still pressed against her, his hands still holding her tightly like he was afraid to let go. "You believe in me, r-right?"_

_Horrified, Rachel simply hugged him harder. "_Of course_ Finn! What would make you doubt that?"_

"_S'nothing, it doesn't matter."_

"_Something's upset you so it matters more than anything to me. If you don't want to talk about it..." She gulped, trying to ignore the connotations if that were the case. "But if you do want to talk to me, I promise I'll be as supportive as I can."_

"_Santana," he spluttered, and Rachel felt her ears burn at the name; the two of them had never really seen eye to eye._

"_What did she say?"_

_Finn hiccupped again before he pulled out of her grip, though only so he could look at her as he talked. The sight in front of Rachel cut her like a razor blade because his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, his cheeks were puffy and sore, and above all, he looked like he was going to cry at any minute._

"_Finn?"_

"_She told me that I'd never make it out of Lima." He mumbled his words in such a rush that Rachel had a hard time understanding him. "She s-said that I was gonna be stuck here, and that you'd leave me 'cause you're the star and I'm nothing."_

_Rachel felt her whole body flare up in anger; how _dare_ Santana say that! "She had no right to say anything of the sort. She just came up to you at school and insulted you?"_

_Finn looked away a little guiltily. "No, she c-called me, actually. She was drunk and I should have hung up but I thought it was funny at first 'cause she w-was saying all this crap." His eyes found hers again, and as he lip wobbled, his body shook slightly with nerves. "You won't leave me, will you Rachel?"_

_Her lips on his soothed the anxiety he'd been feeling since the stupid phone call, and even though he'd been a proper douche about the wedding planner thing, Rachel was still so supportive and amazing, and he believed the love that he felt in their kiss._

"_I'll never leave you. I'm going to New York, Finn, and you're coming with me." She gently poked the end of his nose as she grinned at him and cocked her head. "You won't leave me here, will you? Who knows? It might be me who gets left behind."_

_Finn snorted; like that would ever happen. "You're awesome, Rachel."_

_Her smile quickly faded as she thought back to what had first set him off, and unable to link the suits to Santana's out of line insults, Rachel bit her lip with a frown; she didn't want to risk upsetting him again, but at the same time, something didn't add up. "I don't mean to pry, but what was wrong? Did you just assume we'd never get married or something?"_

_Finn's eyes glazed over, and Rachel saw a flicker of anger run through them, though it had disappeared a second later. "No, it reminded me of Quinn, actually." _

"_Oh..."_

"_Did you know that she'd had our prom outfits pre-planned and put on hold since the second week we'd started dating? Well no, course you wouldn't know that 'cause I didn't find out until the baby drama and stuff..." Finn yawned, rubbing roughly at his eyes to try and rid himself of any last tears. "She told me the week before Sectionals, actually. I thought she was joking, but she pulled out this fucking book, and inside it were ideas for corsages and numbers of limo companies and all this stuff that had nothing and everything to do with me." He shook his head in disbelief at the same time Rachel did, her eyes wide and hesitant. "The suits you've chosen are much more my style, by the way. But like, she'd just planned _everything_, and it was like I had no input on my life at all. And with Santana saying that I was gonna get left behind it was... Just, picture it for a sec." _

"_Finn?"_

_Finn slowly moved his fingers to Rachel's face so that he could brush his thumbs over her eyelids. "Close your eyes. Imagine that you're just an average kid who has no idea what he, well, she for you, wants to do in the future. You have an amazing best friend who knows that they're gonna make it big, and you know that they're gonna make it big too, but you don't know what's gonna happen in your life, so you let everyone else work that out for you."_

"_Finn..."_

"_No, listen, you need to listen. You're so fucking stupid that everyone has to make your plans for you because people force you into being a fath- mother when you never wanted that at all, or at least, not so soon, and they just tell you what to do and who to see and what to wear and what fucking food to eat at your own goddamn prom." _

_Rachel opened her eyes to see that Finn's were about to overspill with tears again. "You're not stupid."_

"_Then why do people act like I am, Rach? I try, I try so hard to be better than average and to be something_, anything_, and yet people try and tell me what to do and who to be. With Quinn and her stupid plans for prom, it was like she had no faith in me whatsoever. She couldn't trust me to choose my own clothes and she couldn't trust me to be a dad so she forced me to do all the things she thought were best for me." He stared down at the planner that sat beside them and sighed. "Isn't that what you're doing, too?"_

"_No." Finn's eyes widened at the strength of Rachel's reply, and widened further at the fire he could feel in her stare. "I'm not Quinn in so many ways, mostly because I'm not pretty or a liar, and-"_

"_You're not pretty."_

_Rachel felt her breath catch in her throat. "Oh, I-"_

"_You're beautiful." Finn shrugged. "Anyway, carry on."_

_Momentarily sidetracked, Rachel pressed a quick kiss to Finn's cheek. "And in the most important way, I'm not Quinn because I believe that you're going to get out of Lima. You're talented, and I would know, because I'm very talented too." This elicited a genuine smile from her boyfriend, to which Rachel continued. "When I made silly little wedding plans, it wasn't because I didn't trust you to make your own choices, I promise. I'm so in love with you, Finn, and thinking about spending the rest of my life with you is just so exciting! I wanted to talk to you about weddings and honeymoons and children, but I assumed you'd be frightened by that, and therefore, I put my enthusiasm into this book because wedding planning is a lot harder than people give it credit for. Do you want to see?"_

"_Okay." Rachel shifted her position until she was sat beside him, and once his arm was comfortably around her shoulders, she opened up the book. "To future Rachel and/or Finn," she read, her voice cracking a little, "I, Rachel Berry, have taken the liberty of planning ahead for your inevitable nuptials since venues in New York are often booked years in advance. Besides, at the point in your life/lives when you feel marriage is the next step, it is likely that you'll be extra busy with your Broadway career/whatever amazing profession you end up doing, Finn, not to mention you'll be so madly in love that you won't get anything done. Therefore, this is just to help ease the load because-"_

_Rachel didn't have time to finish because as soon as she felt Finn's mouth on her neck, there was no way that she could continue (and, rather frustratingly, there was no way she was going to be able to finish her homework either)._

"Don't you think this place looks even more welcoming now that we're a bona fide couple?"

Rachel giggled as she nodded, staring up at the building that bore the Faithfully name. "It does, actually." Biting her lip, she squeezed his hand as she continued to stare at the iconic sign. "Was it-"

"Yeah."

She swatted his arm with a huff, though the grin she wore gave away her mock frustration. "You didn't even know what I was going to say!"

"Yeah I did. You were gonna ask if I called it Faithfully 'cause of the duet, and the answer is yeah, I did. Come on, we have work to be doing."

Rachel trailed limply after Finn as her heart seemed to overflow with love, and without another word, she followed him into the bar, wearing a less than dignified grin that made her look like she was fresh out of a mental institute. She didn't care, _she didn't care_, because all of this, Finn and the bar and her life, it was real!

"Oh hey, babe, I forgot; what was it that Kurt said to you last night? You know, something that you were gonna tell me this morning?"

Rachel's eyes widened, and with a splutter, she tried to think of the best way to tell him when they walked into the kitchen and into some messy sex scene. Quinn, covered from head to toe in flour, eggs and some unidentifiable white substance (just _ew_), was sitting on one of the kitchen counters, wearing nothing but a bra and panties. Standing beside her, a dirty smirk on his face, was Noah Puckerman, who was also covered in said ingredients. He was just wearing pants and sneakers, and Rachel had to divert her gaze because he was holding some kind of wooden spatula in the air like he was about to spank the blonde.

"Why is this becoming a recurring thing?" Finn said, practically gagging on his words.

"What do you mean? You knew about them?" asked Rachel in a small voice, trying desperately not to look at the two star crossed lovers. "That's what Kurt told me, that they'd been caught red handed while we were away..."

Finn rolled his eyes, also keen to look away from the mess in front of him. "Yeah, back at school I walked in on the two of them having a food fight, but that was when I was dumb and I thought I was Beth's father." He snorted, though glanced at Puck and gave him a smirk to let him know it was okay.

"Dude, you're supposed to knock."

"God, sorry, I forgot that this was your kitchen. We'll leave you to it." Finn took Rachel's hand again as he tried not to stare at Quinn's boobs (and, quite frankly, he'd already seen enough of them and they were nowhere near as awesome as Rachel's), and as he winked at them both, he led his girlfriend out, grinning as he heard the indignant squeals of a certain blonde. "Well, that was awkward."

"You're handling this really well," Rachel said in admiration. "I didn't tell you last night because I was worried it'd upset you."

Finn shrugged as he set about to making himself useful. He knew Kurt was honest and wouldn't steal anything from the takings, but Puck he wasn't so sure about. "I've had my suspicions. They never made it official but I've always kinda known they were probably screwing each other; I don't really know why they haven't just admitted that they're in love."

"Yes, but she's your ex and he's your best friend..."

He looked over his shoulder at Rachel, who had somehow located a mop and bucket, and who had already began to clean the dusty floor; Finn smiled fondly, 'cause it was the little things that reminded him how lucky he was. "Yeah, but you're forgetting something. I may have just walked in a weird food related sex act that might have once hurt a little, but I walked in there with the hottest girl in existence who trusted me enough to give me her virginity, and who has told me that she loves me a total of seventeen times since last night."

Rachel's cheeks flushed with colour. "Seventeen times? I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't throw it around so easily but I just wanted to make sure that you knew how I felt." Her body quivered as Finn took a few confident strides towards her, and with her own squeal that sounded much louder than Quinn's, Rachel giggled as she was hoisted up against the bar while Finn's lips ravished her own in a way that made her feel absolutely adored (and utterly dirty at the same time).

"For crying out loud, I thought I'd come to my brother's sophisticated bar, but I must have accidentally stumbled into some seedy brothel."

Rachel pushed Finn away as she smoothed down her shirt, which Finn had somehow unbuttoned; he was definitely an efficient worker. The two of them watched as Kurt made his way inside, an amused Mercedes by his side.

"Yeah yeah, hilarious as always. At least we're not doing it in the kitchen."

"The white boy with the mohawk and the white girl with the blonde hair are getting freaky in the kitchen?" Mercedes let out a low whistle as she shook her head. "I hope they clean up properly when they're done, I actually like eating here."

All four of them winced at the thought of food being prepared on the same surface where Quinn was probably being-

Nope, Finn couldn't even finish that mental sentence.

"So, about last night..." he began, 'cause even if he didn't regret a thing, he was sorry for making Kurt pick up the slack.

"Don't mention it, I took all of the tips anyway since Puckerman didn't deserve them." He shrugged at the outrage on Finn's face since his brother hadn't been there to earn them either. "So, Mr Bossman, what do you want us to do today?"

**Glee!**

Rachel was a romantic through and through, but if she'd started the morning expecting star treatment because she was head over heels in love with the owner, she was sorely mistaken. By the time the bar was open for business, she was already exhausted. She still wasn't used to the sheer amount of visitors that graced the premises with their perfect smiles and their wads of money, and when she spotted Barbra Streisand dining there _again_, she had a hard time not losing it.

To make matters worse, Finn was refusing to let her sing again.

"But I'm a _singing_ waitress!" she moaned for the umpteenth time while she waited for Puck to fill several glasses with alcohol. "Yes, I understand that he's worried there'll be a talent scout around, but he has to learn to trust me!"

Puck rolled his eyes as he all but slammed the various drinks down onto her tray, a snarl on his lips. "For fuck's sake Berry, give it a _rest! _God, if I have to hear you whine one more time-"

"Hey, dude, leave my girl alone." Rachel felt Finn snake his arms around her body, and when he kissed the back of her neck, she simply gave Puck a 'ha ha, my boyfriend is amazing' smirk that caused him to roll his eyes again.

"Then give her a song so she'll stop yapping my ear off!"

"It's okay," Rachel whispered, trying to balance the tray of drinks in her hands while Finn continued to kiss her softly. "You obviously have your reasons for not letting me perform, and I don't really want to sing tonight anyway."

"Oh, that's too bad," he murmured, latching his mouth to her earlobe before sucking briefly on her skin; he loved the way he could feel her shudder under his touch. "I actually came over to offer you a solo, but I'll get Puck to-"

"I'll do it!" She flashed him a brief but grateful smile as she hurried away to distribute the drinks, and before Finn could count to ten, Rachel was on stage, clutching the microphone like her life depended on it. "Hello, my name is Rachel Berry and I'll be singing Your Song by Elton John. Finn, this one's for you."

As the perfect sound of Rachel's singing flooded the bar and brought everyone to a standstill, Finn felt his pager buzzing frantically in his pocket. He was tempted to ignore it and enjoy the way that Rachel was practically eye-fucking him from across the room, but the vibration was relentless, and his pager was for emergencies only. Resigned to missing her song, he mouthed an apology as he walked quickly to his office and slammed the door behind him. Honestly, everything had been fine all night and the _one_ time that Rachel was singing, there was some type of problem. He squinted down at the number that flashed up on his screen, and slowly punched the numbers into his phone. There was no message to accompany the contact, which was a little odd, but he figured that it was sent in haste; he hoped his mom was okay.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi, this is Finn Hudson, I was just paged..."

"_Ah, Mr Hudson, thank you for responding so quickly. My name is Ja- um, sorry, my name is J-John Barry Is..lington, yeah, John Barry Islington, and I'm a reporter."_

Finn's eyebrows creased; why did he have the feeling something weird was going on? Also, John Barry Islington; what kind of a name was that? "Okay, but I'm actually working right now. If you want to arrange an interview, please contact my secretary, Janet Burns. I have to go, so..."

"_Oh I wouldn't leave if I were you. I have some information that you will find very interesting."_

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Go on."

"_Firstly, what's your reaction to the news that Rachel Berry, your newest employee, was only using your fame to get herself a role on Broadway?"_

Finn stiffened in his seat, clutching the phone to his ear. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"_My sources confirm that Rachel was offered a role in a major show, and is currently going through negotiations before she begins as soon as possible. How did you react?"_

"John, you've got it all wrong," he said in a hurry, his heart beating uncomfortably fast. Why was he letting this joker get to him when he knew it was just a shit load of lies? Rachel would never do that to him.

"_I'm afraid I haven't Mr Hudson. My sources confirm that Rachel only applied for the job to boost her reputation in New York, and that she was willing to do anything to do so."_

"You're lying; why should I believe you when I don't even know who you are?"

"_Do you know a Sean Fretthold, Mr Hudson?"_

Finn's blood suddenly ran cold under his skin. Sean... what did he have to do with anything? "And what if I do?"

"_Did you know that he's dating someone?"_

What the fuck? "Yeah, he told me a while back. Look, who the hell are you? What do you want?"

"_Do you know her name?" _John, if that was really his name, sounded incredibly smug, and Finn wanted to punch the douche for lying about his girlfriend.

"I don't see how that's anyone's business."

"_Yes or no?"_

"No, alright? No, I don't know her name 'cause he said I wouldn't like it." He hadn't thought anything of it when Sean had said that. There were people in his past that Finn had fallen out with, and Sean had probably started dating some bitchy ex Cheerio or something. He'd never questioned it because Sean was one of his closest friends, and he'd never seek to be vindictive on purpose.

"_Oh, that's a shame..."_

Finn smashed his fist onto his desk. "Spit it out already!"

"_My source, the one that told me Rachel used you to benefit herself, was the same Sean Fretthold. This is the Sean Fretthold who, for a considerate sum of money, confessed to me that he's been dating Rachel for the past two years, and that he encouraged her to try and make it big in New York. He told me he wants to move there once Rachel is successful."_

Finn dropped the phone from his numb fingers, ignoring the way the receiver rattled noisily on his desk.

_What?_

Could...

Could it be true?

He picked up the phone, a stony expression on his face, and managed a one word response; "Continue."

"_That's all there is Mr Hudson. Sean simply divulged his methods, and how he stayed in contact with you so that Rachel had a better shot of being hired, and how, when you told him that you were holding auditions, he quickly alerted Rachel and helped with her song choice so that you'd have to pick her. He also-"_

Finn slammed the phone down because he was worried that he was going to do something he'd regret.

What the fuck?

Sean? As in the same Sean who had been his friend for years?

Rachel?

_No._ There was no way he was going to take the word of some stranger over the love of his fucking life! She'd even said, hadn't she, that she didn't want the job in the first place because-

She hadn't wanted the job because she'd wanted Finn; what if he'd misunderstood that? Maybe he'd just heard what he'd wanted to hear. Maybe he'd forgiven her so easily because he'd been too desperate to have her back.

Maybe she really was just-

"No!" he yelled, kicking his chair with a rage he hadn't felt in a long time. Fuck that John bastard! He trusted Rachel, and all he had to do was confront her over the ridiculous allegations, and then they'd laugh it all off and put it down to some jealous dick trying to mess with their heads.

Trying to stay cool and collected, Finn joined the crowds once more, expecting to see Rachel on stage still singing away. Instead, she came running towards him before hugging him tightly.

"Everything okay Finn? I can't believe you missed my song! Though I have some amazing news!"

Finn gulped, but tried to remain optimistic because there was no way Rachel would do that to him, there was just no way.

"What is it?"

"Sean's travelling up for the weekend!"

_No..._

"I uh... What?"

Rachel looked up at him like he was crazy. "You know, Sean, our friend? He just called me and told me he was paying an impromptu visit to see me!"

He was travelling to see her, not him, not them (probably to congratulate her on her Broadway role...)

"No!"

"Finn, what's wrong?" She tightened her grip on his hand, which he hadn't even realised she'd taken, and though she looked concerned, she was an actress, so she was probably playing him, just like that Islington guy said.

"He's just coming to see you?" he managed to croak out, 'cause fuck, there was no way that it was true!

"No silly! Well, he said me, but that's because I was talking to him, though I'm sure he meant us both and-"

"Have any talent scouts offered you a job on Broadway?"

Finn had wished for a lot of things in his life, some important things, and some not so important things.

He was pretty sure, though, that he'd never wished for anything more than Rachel to tell him that he was wrong. He waited to see the confusion on her face, and he waited to see her shake her head and tell him he was being stupid, but instead, and sending a shattering pain through his heart, he saw guilt, goddamn _guilt_, and that was all he needed to know.

"How did you find out? I-"

"Fuck you Rachel, I'm done with this." Ignoring the awful way that Rachel recoiled like she'd just been slapped, Finn shoved his way through the people in the room, elbowing them left and right as unabashed tears streamed down his face.

He couldn't believe she'd do this to him.

Nearly at the door, he planned on running as fast as he could once he was on the streets; what he hadn't planned on was Santana Lopez standing in front of him, a manipulative smirk on her face.

"Finnocence; long time no see."

**A/N: **Two updates in one week; feel special dear readers ;)

No, honestly, thank you a hundred times over for the amazing response on my last chapter. There were so many wonderful reviews and favourite alerts that it motivated me to write this installment sooner, so thank you! This fic will roughly be about ten to twelve chapters long, depending on how stubborn Finn and Rachel turn out to be, so I'm going to focus all of my efforts on finishing this story before I update Jigsaw and my song fic, and then it'll be time for the other fifty stories I have that are waiting to be written.

As always, feedback would be amazing, and thanks again for being fabulous! ~Rachael x


	8. Chapter 8

Though a lot had changed since the days of Rachel Berry, the high school diva with big dreams and an even bigger voice, one thing had always remained the same; she loved singing.

For Rachel, singing was just as natural as breathing, and when she performed, whether it was for hundreds of people at glee club competitions, or even just herself in front of the mirror with a hairbrush, it was comfortable and exhilarating and _right._

Unsurprisingly, that was the same way she felt when she was with Finn, and therefore, being handed the opportunity to sing in her boyfriend's bar at his request, Rachel found herself giddy with nerves, love, and pure appreciation for life that she'd thought she'd lost along the way.

She stood on the stage, her hands clasped tightly around the microphone, and with eyes completely focused on him, Rachel announced that her chosen song was for Finn.

She poured all she had into that song, and she savoured the way that he watched her. It reminded her of her performance of The Only Exception, and the way that Finn had looked so overwhelmed with love and appreciation, and finally, _finally_, Rachel was seeing that exact same look once more.

Only, before she'd even sung half of Your Song, Finn mouthed some type of apology and left, and she felt an uncomfortable tug on her heart. She kept singing though, singing for him and for them and for herself, because as previously stated, singing was just as natural as breathing.

When the song had finished, and when she'd graciously accepted a humble round of applause, Rachel wondered if she was allowed to sing something else. This was what she lived for, performing for the enjoyment of others, but during the course of less than a week, she'd come to realise that she lived for something else, too, something by the name of Finn Hudson.

Rachel jumped off of the stage with the intention of checking on her boyfriend, but when she felt her phone vibrate and saw Sean on her caller ID, she had to stop herself from squealing in joy.

"Sean!" she breathed, nodding at Puck when he signalled for her to wait on people again.

"_Hey Rachel. Is everything okay? You sound unusually happy to hear me."_

"Everything's brilliant! Sean, I have so _much_ to tell you! This job, this place, it's all so much more than I could have ever hoped for!"

Rachel's brow crinkled for a second as she heard her best friend scoff. "_So there's no other reason why you're having the time of your life?"_

Blushing, she bit her lip. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"_Oh, I don't know, it might be the extremely hunky owner of the bar that's having a slight effect on you..."_

"Did you just call Finn _hun_ky, Mr Fretthold?"

"_You're an expert at deflecting. Never mind, you can tell me all about it when you see me in a few days."_

Rachel's eyes widened, and unsure that she'd heard him right, she gulped, her hands shaking a little. "Excuse me?"

"_Look, I hope you don't think I'm trying to intrude or anything, because by the sounds of it, you're doing great Rachel. The thing is, I've been wanting to get out of the house for a while now, and Celine suggested travelling up to see you; I guess she must be warming to you. Anyway, it's gonna take a bit of planning because of transport and accommodation and all of the really _fun_ things associated with being paralysed, but I figured that it'd be a nice change, and I've missed talking to you."_

"Yes!" she all but screamed, jumping up and down on the spot. "That would be amazing!"

Sean chuckled. "_I'm glad you like that idea. I'll let you know for sure as soon as I can, but I can't wait to see you."_

"I can't wait to see you either!" she gushed, "I have so much to tell you! And Finn will be so happy to see you."

"_I have to go now Rachel, but I'll talk to you soon."_

"Bye Sean!" Hanging up on him, Rachel jumped a little more, though she frowned at the idea of Celine accompanying him. At least she took good care of him, and it was obvious that they genuinely loved each other, but maybe it was one of those things; Vocal Adrenaline members, former or otherwise, were simply bad news.

With renewed excitement, Rachel headed towards the bar, and when she saw Finn looking for her, she ran at him in an over exaggerated fashion, throwing her arms around him in a tight, 'I love you Finn and I can't believe any of this is real' hug.

"Everything okay Finn?" She looked up at him, and the earlier love in his eyes seemed to have been replaced with confusion, though she assured herself that she was just seeing things. "I can't believe you missed my song! Though I have some amazing news!"

"What is it?" he said almost dejectedly. No, he didn't say it in a dejected manner, she was probably just being paranoid.

"Sean's travelling up for the weekend!" she sang, nuzzling her face against his chest. She loved the smell of Finn, the smell of homeliness and soap and hugs and just _Finn._

"I uh... What?"

Rachel frowned, and this time she wasn't able to shake off the feeling that something had freaked him out. "You know, Sean, our friend? He just called me and told me he was paying an impromptu visit to see me!" She took his hand and ran her thumb along his knuckles in an attempt to soothe him, but without knowing _why_ he needed soothing in the first place, it was difficult to be as supportive as she could be.

"No!" Finn yelled, shaking his head. All the colour had left his face, and his eyes? His eyes looked _lonely_, if that was even possible.

"Finn, what's wrong?"

"He's just coming to see you?" he said in little more than a whisper, eliciting a frown from Rachel.

"No silly! Well, he said me, but that's because I was talking to him, though I'm sure he meant us both and-"

"Have any talent scouts offered you a job on Broadway?"

Rachel felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Though she had never been winded by such a physical attack, she assumed that she knew the feeling all too well, and suddenly she found it extremely difficult to breathe.

How did he know? She'd tried so hard to keep it private, and as such, she hadn't told a _soul_.

Ordinarily, Rachel would have let everyone know about something so big. After one of her very first performances at the bar, she'd been approached by a man claiming to be a talent scout of kinds. There and then, he'd offered her a role in a wide selection of Broadway shows, and just as eager to prove that his offer was genuine, he'd tried to give her thousands of dollars to 'encourage her to make the right choice'.

Ordinarily, Rachel would have taken the offer without a second thought.

Ordinarily, Rachel would have been ruthless, ignoring personal relationships for her own gain.

But this was no longer an ordinary scenario, and after Puck had admitted to her that Finn was worried she'd leave at the first sign of a better opportunity, she'd promised herself that she wouldn't hurt him that way, and therefore, she'd politely declined the contracts that the overly pushy man tried to make her sign.

He hadn't been particularly gracious, and had even threatened to blacklist her for the future, but Rachel was sure he was bluffing, and was working on some kind of commission basis since he was extremely desperate to get her to agree to his offer.

Anyway, the point was that yes, she'd been approached by one lone man, but she'd said _no_, even before Finn had declared his love for her and made her the happiest girl alive.

Therefore, her heart sunk at the hurt in his words because, of course, he'd assumed that she'd leave him so suddenly, and she didn't blame him for that; her pursuit of Broadway had never been a secret.

"How did you find out? I-"

_I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but the truth is, Finn, that it may have been my dream once, and it may be again in the future, but right now, _you_ are all I want. Working here, working alongside the person that I've never loved more than any in my life before; this is what I want to do._

That's what Rachel wanted to say, and that's what she'd been ready to say as she'd opened her mouth, but all of a sudden, as painful as if he'd just grabbed a gun and shot her in the chest, Finn snapped.

"Fuck you Rachel, I'm done with this."

Then he left, just like that! And though Rachel wanted to crawl into a ball and cry, she took a deep breath, counted to three, then marched after him with as much determination as she could muster.

Something had happened, and she was going to do her best to find out what that was. Unfortunately, Finn's (sexy) legs were much longer than hers, and since he was practically sprinting out of the bar, Rachel struggled to keep up with him.

Until he stopped, and she almost bumped into him.

"Finn, wait, I..."

He couldn't hear her with good reason, because Santana Lopez was standing in front of him, her eyes roaming his body in a way that Rachel recognised, because the night before, she'd done the exact same thing to her _boyfriend_.

Without a second thought, Rachel grabbed Finn's hand, ready to persevere if he tried to resist (surprisingly, he didn't).

"Finnocence; long time no see."

"Santana, what are you doing here?"

The smirk that the Latina had worn a moment ago dissolved the instant that Rachel dared to speak to her, and all of her fake bravado disappeared to reveal complete disdain for what she was seeing. "Berry?" She glanced down at Finn's hand in Rachel's, and she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "Oh please, this train wreck is back on again? I'm glad I'll be around to watch it crash and burn." Without another word, she made her way to the bar, not bothering to look over her shoulder at the two people who stared after her.

"Why is she here?" Rachel whispered nervously; seeing Santana again only brought back memories from high school that she'd tried to forget, and it made her extremely uncomfortable.

"I have no idea," Finn admitted, and for a brief moment, he squeezed Rachel's hand until an imaginary light bulb appeared above his head, and he snatched his hand away at the same time a tear ran down his face. "Why the hell are you doing this? Just leave me alone."

Finn turned away, ready to try and escape again, but he hadn't counted on the surprisingly strong grip of Rachel on his arm.

"I'll do no such thing until we've had a chance to talk."

He looked down at her, her eyes super shiny and frightened, and he nodded with a sigh, resigned to hearing about her scheming plans with Sean.

"Fine, we'll talk in my office." He shuffled along awkwardly, not meeting the gaze of the people in the bar, and when Puck gave him a 'what the fuck? Why is Lopez in here and what the hell is up with you?' stare, Finn just waved him off; he'd explain later if he was feeling up to it. "In here," he said quietly, leading Rachel into his pretty boring office.

He didn't spend a lot of time in there, simply because it was bland and pretty unwelcoming as far as offices went, but with Rachel in there with him, it didn't seem as lonely as he remembered it.

Finn signalled for her to take a seat, and opposite each other, a wooden desk between them, they sat.

"So..." Rachel began, playing nervously with the watch around her wrist.

"So," he agreed, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Just... I'm gonna give you the chance to admit everything before I tell you what I know, so don't bother holding back 'cause I know exactly what's been going on."

Rachel silently shook her head because he really was blowing everything out of proportion. "Okay," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment as she tried to think of the best way to explain herself. "A couple of days ago, a talent scout approached me and offered me countless roles on current Broadway shows." She _hated_ the way that Finn seemed to crumble at her words, but she had to be honest with him; she'd learnt that from a certain boy. "He was very eager to see me agree to his terms and conditions, but I said no."

Finn, who had been holding onto the desk tightly, waiting for the moment when she truly broke his heart, looked at her as he cocked his head; he must have misheard her, right? "You said what?"

"I said no," Rachel replied coolly. "It was tempting, I'll admit, but I'm having a lot of fun working here with my friends, and I didn't want to betray your trust after everything you've done for me." She managed a tiny, genuine smile. "Besides, things have changed even more since the day I met him, because I've fallen in love all over again, and I'd never do anything to jeopardise that." The smile faded at the same time as her words, because as much as she spoke the truth, something wasn't quite right; had Finn really loved her at all?

"You said what?" he repeated stupidly, staring at her like he'd never seen a girl before.

"Finn, what's going on? You're scaring me and I want to help, I do, but you have to believe-"

"Why did you say no? You've wanted to be on Broadway your whole life!" Finn stood up, clenching and unclenching his jaw in anger while the vein on his neck seemed to burst out of his skin. He didn't get it! "Why did you say no?"

"Because it's my decision!" Rachel's lip wobbled. "And I didn't want to-"

"Your whole life! Why would you say no?"

"Because I _love_ you, Finn!" She jumped out of her chair, slamming her foot down onto the floor like a severely pissed off toddler. "Because as much as I love Broadway, and as much as I've dreamt of being that person, that performer, I love you more than any of that!" Her eyes filled with tears at the same time that her cheeks blushed furiously with anger. "But I don't know who you are right now. The Finn I know wouldn't tell me to _fuck off_." She spat the words with such malice that Finn was tempted to take a step away from her. "What's going on?"

"You r-really love me that much?"

Rachel rubbed roughly at her eyes before giving him a painful stare. "You're hurting me, Finn."

Perplexed, he shook his head. "I don't know what that means."

"What that means," she said tersely, "is that you don't trust me or-"

"I never-"

Rachel held her hand up until he was quiet. "Or believe me. I don't know _what_ happened in the span of less than ten minutes, but it _hurts_ knowing that you didn't even have the decency to come to me first." Hands on her hips and tears in her eyes, she shrugged in her best attempt at nonchalance, even if she wanted to slap him across the face. "So, are you going to tell me what caused the sudden u-turn?"

Finn hated making Rachel mad, and surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly), he'd made her mad dozens of times in the years that he'd known her. Whether it was because she'd let him take a shower at her house after football practice and he'd used up all of her ultra expensive berry shampoo ("It's not _just_ shampoo, Finn, it's Fair-trade and it wasn't tested on animals and if it leaks into the environment it's harmless to the fish and it makes my hair soft!"), or whether it was because he'd had to skip out on a date to help Puck with an emergency ("Helping Noah score some alcohol doesn't constitute as an emergency!"), he hated it all the same.

The difference between high school Finn and adult Finn was a huge one, actually, and while a younger, slightly dumber Finn would have been able to get away with kissing her to put an end to the argument, the new and not necessarily improved Finn didn't really have that luxury.

"I got a phone call," he began lamely. He didn't see how the situation could have a silver lining. Either the John Barry Islington guy was a fraud and had just helped to screw up his relationship with Rachel, or all that crap was actually true, and she'd screwed him over instead.

"A phone call?" she asked, trying to entice him into talking a little more. Unaware that he'd literally stood still to think things over, he cleared his throat.

"Actually, no, I got paged a number, so I came back here to call it in case it was my mom or Burt or something."

"And?"

God, she was really impatient. Finn ran a hand through his hair, trying to avoid her frosty stare. "Long story short, it was someone I didn't know, some reporter, and he-" His voice cracked, and without thinking about it, he let out a strangled sob. "Rachel, just tell me, _tell_ _me_, I don't wanna repeat it all."

"I don't know what you want me to say," she said under her breath, and as Finn unceremoniously wiped his nose against the sleeve of his shirt, he felt two arms wrap themselves around his chest. He could feel the hesitance, and he could feel the way she wasn't sure if she was allowed to touch him, but he could also_ feel_ her, that touch that was undoubtedly Rachel Berry. "Please Finn, tell me what he said and I'll do my best to convince you of the truth."

Finn sighed and gently hugged her back for a moment before pulling her towards his chair. He sat down (after double checking that he wasn't going to fall on his ass), and with a timid tug, he helped her to sit in his lap, to which she agreed to with no qualms.

Rachel had to be some kind of witch or sorceress or _something_. When she wasn't there, and when a stranger was feeding him information about her supposed plans for Broadway domination, Finn was so close to hating her that he'd felt bile at the back of his throat.

He knew betrayal, oh boy, did he ever. Forgetting about all the shit with Quinn and Puck, he'd had to deal with his ex-bestfriend screwing him over _again_, and well, the fact that it had been Rachel who he'd kissed hadn't exactly been an easy thing to come to terms with.

Therefore, even if at one time he would have outright denied all the hateful rumours surrounding her, Finn actually had a reason to distrust her now.

Or at least, that's what he'd thought, because now that Rachel was sitting in his lap, softly playing with his hair as she nuzzled her face against his neck, he couldn't remember anything other than how much he fucking _adored_ her. Best of all though, he realised that if the allegations were true, he had it in him to forgive her if it meant she stuck around.

"Okay," he finally breathed. The smell of Rachel's perfume and the gentle way that she held him and the way that she actually looked like she loved him all added up to the fact that he wanted to make her happy, regardless of everything else, and this was the best way, right?

"I love you Finn," she murmured.

"A man claiming to be a reporter paged me his number, and asked me for my reaction on hearing that you'd used me to get a role on Broadway." Rachel stiffened in his grasp in an effort to protest, but Finn pressed a finger to her lips. "Let me tell you everything first, okay?" He furrowed his brow, trying to remember exactly what the douche had said. "I told him that it was all wrong and that I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, and he said that you were going through negotiations with some show."

"Finn..."

"I know, but just let me finish first babe, okay?" Babe slipped out accidentally, and Finn heard Rachel suck in a breath; if he found it so easy to still call her that then maybe things weren't so bad after all. "Anyway, he told me that his source was... Was Sean, and then he started asking me if I knew who he was dating."

It was weird, talking about Sean with Rachel. They'd visited him a few times together while they'd dated in high school, but once they'd broken up, it had never been the same, at least not for him. Besides, it sounded so _dumb_ to admit that Finn had no idea what Sean's girlfriend was called; when he'd been told that he probably wouldn't have wanted to know, Finn hadn't bothered to push it, and in hindsight he should have.

"You didn't know he was dating?" Rachel asked quietly. "Sorry, I know you want to tell the story but I'm a little confused."

"I knew he was dating, I just didn't know who. He told me that I wouldn't like it, so I didn't think anything of it."

Rachel suddenly whimpered and curled her fist in his t-shirt. "The reporter said it was me, didn't he? And from your perspective, it would make perfect sense." Finn's silence signalled that she was right, and Rachel pressed a needy kiss to his cheek while she stroked his face.

"He said that the two of you had been dating for a couple of years, and that you'd plotted together to use me so that you could make a lot of money, and then he could join you in New York."

The little girl in his lap gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. "And after you heard this, the first thing I said was that Sean was coming to visit."

Finn closed his eyes to compose himself while keeping his breathing steady. There was still the possibility that she was playing him, but it was looking more and more likely that some fucker had decided to stir things up for no reason at all, and he had no idea in hell what he was supposed to do about that.

"Just tell me one thing, Rachel." He opened his eyes warily, a lump in his throat and his shoulders shaking, and he watched her, ready to look for any tell tale signs of deceit (not that he was particularly good at telling when people were lying). "Are you dating Sean?"

He expected her to cry or hit him or nod and admit it, but she pressed her lips to his, and made a big deal of prolonging the contact between their mouths. He knew it wasn't the time for getting butterflies when he needed to stay level headed, but her touch always _did_ something to him, and this was no exception.

"No," she whispered. She opened her eyes after breaking away from the kiss, and as she bit her lip, she shrugged. "I suppose I should tell you who he's really dating. Anyway, it seems to me a little childish that he didn't tell you in the first place, but her name's Celine, and she's a former member of Vocal Adrenaline."

If he hadn't felt the need to cry like a girl, Finn would have laughed his fucking head off. "What the hell?"

"Oh, are you mad after all? I suppose it might have had something to do with the assumption that you'd dislike her because of the unfortunate egging incident, but I know you're -"

Her words were cut off by Finn's lips, and when she felt his tongue lap hungrily at her mouth, she didn't resist as she let him in, sighing at the way he explored her while her fingers curled in his hair. Did that mean he believed her? She wasn't completely sure, but judging by the way that he kissed her (needy, passionately and slightly impatient), it seemed that he had.

All too soon though, he was pulling away, if only to catch his breath. "Rachel," he said quietly, resting his forehead against hers, "I'm so sorry. I just- I assumed the worst because the worst is usually reality, and everything had been so perfect between us that I thought, I just..."

"I know," she said with a nod. "And though I'm disappointed that you couldn't have handled it with a tad more maturity, I don't blame you; the evidence isn't exactly in my favour." She smiled at him, and he smiled back, and their overdramatic fight might as well have not occurred.

However, a moment later, Rachel's face was graced with a frown, and Finn felt his stomach twist. "What is it?"

"Though the man's allegations were total nonsense, what did he seek to gain from destroying our relationship? And how did he know about the scout? I didn't tell anyone, just in case they accidentally told you, so how could he know?"

Finn didn't know the answer to any of those questions, and now that she'd voiced them, he understood her concern; what did the guy want?

"Did he give you his name?"

Duh, of course, he hadn't even told her that. "John Barry Islington," he said, slightly unconvinced. "It was weird, but the way he said it... It was as if he didn't believe it himself, or he'd just made it-"

"Oh my goodness!" squeaked Rachel, jumping out of Finn's lap as she turned around on the spot a few times, clutching her chest.

"Shit, Rach, what the-"

"His initials, Finn, his initials! JBI! Doesn't that ring any bells?"

Finn stared at her, at the expectancy on her face and the colour in her cheeks and the way she was willing him to understand the mystery too (even if would be _so_ much easier if she just told him instead of waiting for him to guess).

"JBI? Uh, I dunno, let me..." His eyes widened as his gaze wandered before it returned to Rachel's face. "Fucking hell, you're not telling me that it was Jacob Ben Israel?"

She nodded solemnly. "It fits. Jacob always did seem to have a penchant for unearthing private information, and I can only assume that- Oh my goodness!"

Finn almost fell out of his chair at her second outburst. "What now? Babe, you're gonna give me a heart attack!"

"Sorry!" she said, managing a giggle of kinds. "I've just remembered something that's vital to our investigation!"

Finn smirked as he rolled his eyes playfully. "Last time I checked, we weren't cops or detectives."

"Humour me," she said as she pressed a finger to her mouth in thought. "Yes, now that I think about it, I definitely recognised him."

"Jacob?" Finn scratched his head with a yawn. "How- You haven't seen him, have you?"

"No no, I'm not talking about Jacob, I'm talking about Patrick!" It was Rachel's turn to roll her eyes, though she didn't do so in jest, and it had Finn utterly confused.

"And Patrick is the third guy you're seeing on the side, right?" he joked, to which Rachel shook her head.

"He's number four." At the 'this was fun a second ago but I don't like this game anymore' expression on Finn's face, she fought back a giggle. "I'm sorry. No, of course it isn't anything like that. The man who I told you about, the man that claimed to be a talent scout? He told me his name was Patrick, and I remember thinking that I vaguely recognised him." She began to pace up and down, a hand pressed to her mouth, which only sought to confuse Finn more.

"Am I supposed to know who this Patrick guy is?"

"Remember Run Joey Run?"

Finn blanched; of course he remembered it (and he wasn't really sure how that had anything to do with their mystery). "Uh, yeah?"

"Do you happen to remember the boy from the AV club who helped me set up the projector? He was quite-" Rachel pursed her lips as she tried to describe him without being cruel. "He was a little larger than most people, he wore glasses, and his cheeks were constantly red."

Didn't that describe, like, all the kids in the AV club? "Not really..."

"Never mind, it doesn't really change anything. The scout was him! I doubt his real name is Patrick, but I _knew_ I recognised him! He was a little slimmer in the face and wore different glasses, but Finn, I know I'm right. He must have been there on Jacob's orders!"

Even if he was having a hard time getting his head around everything, this he understood perfectly, and it all came down to one thing; Jacob was a dead man. "You don't think he's trying to..." He gestured with his hands while wrinkling his nose in disgust 'cause he'd never been a fan of that Israel kid. "You know, seduce you or something? Make you his?"

Rachel's face lost all of its colour as she gave a timid, slightly unbelieving nod. "I wish it weren't true, but Jacob has always had a, how shall I say, _obsession_ with me, and this seems like something he would do. I suppose he heard about me being hired here, and decided to try and break us up."

"And the fucker nearly succeeded," Finn muttered, running a hand over his hair. "I'm really sorry Rachel, I shouldn't-"

"You've already apologised, so please don't beat yourself up. The evidence was in front of you and I don't want you to feel guilty." She smiled softly at him, and felt a warm sensation in her stomach when he smiled back, though it quickly turned into a frown.

"There's something that doesn't add up..."

"What is it?" she asked fearfully, once more taking her place in his lap. "Finn?"

Furrowing his brow, he stared at nothing in particular as he tried to get the facts straight. "Okay, so he got that Patrick person to pose as a talent scout so he could rub it my face; that I understand. But the stuff about Sean... How did he know that?" Rachel's eyes widened at his revelation, but she remained silent. "How did he know that I had no clue who Sean's dating?"

She didn't have an answer for that, and the warmth she'd felt a moment ago had disappeared, replaced with an icy unease. "I honestly don't know. It's not the kind of information he could have made up in the hope that he was on target, either."

Finn pressed his lips to her cheek, lingering for a few seconds before threading his fingers in hers. "Look, the most important thing is that we don't let it affect us. I don't know how far he's willing to go to have you for himself or whatever the fuck he wants, but if you hear any rumours about me, talk to me first, alright?" He kissed her cheek again. "Now that we know what we're up against, we should be okay."

Rachel nodded and sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as she could. "Why are things never plain sailing?" she whined, and she could feel Finn's body vibrate with a silent chuckle.

"I dunno Rach, but I'm kinda used to crazy shit happening when I'm with you." He hugged her back, basking in the way she slotted perfectly in his grasp, but like he'd just been hit by a bus, he remembered the other _slight_ problem that they hadn't discussed; Santana.

Shit shit shit _shit_. Why was everything happening all at once? He hadn't heard from Santana in years, and of course, she decided to pay a visit at the same time that Rachel was around; fucking fantastic.

Finn had to tell her the truth. If he'd learnt anything from high school (apart from a few Spanish words and a shitload of songs), it was that honesty was the best policy, especially where Santana was concerned; he'd already lost Rachel because of that bitch, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.

Fuck, if only he could help it.

"Hey, babe?" he whispered, running his hand up and down her back. He felt her shiver and hum at his touch, and it made him smile, for a second at least.

"Mmmhm?"

"I have- I have to tell you something, and you're not gonna like it but I figure that it's best that I tell you before anyone else does."

Rachel sat back so she could judge his facial expression, and when she realised he was being sincere, she held her breath, clutching her throat like her life depended on it. "You're cheating on me," she said in a quiet breath, causing Finn to do a double take.

"W-what? No, Rach, it's nothing like that..." He grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose; he had no idea where to begin. "It's Santana, actually."

"San- Oh, yes, what with all of our drama, I completely... Finn, you didn't... You're not...?"

Trying to fill the spaces in her sentences, he shook his head vigorously. "Hell no. I swear, the only time we um, we did it, was the time I- Yeah, well, you kinda already know about that." Even if he was slightly older and _slightly_ more mature, Finn still felt incredibly uncomfortable at the thought of him and Santana; talk about awkward fumbling. "But see, if she'd had her way, it would have been more."

Rachel's gaze narrowed as tightened her grip around him. "When was this?"

"At my mom's wedding, if you can believe that." Finn could tell she was about to going into insane-Rachel-ranting mode so he gulped and continued forward; there was no looking back now. "Course, I turned her down because I loved you, Rachel, and then you appeared in your stunning red dress and I never once considered saying yes to Santana. After our- when we-" Finn took a deep breath, remembering the pain he'd once felt over them. "After our breakup, though, she was persistent, and she kept making me these offers of sex, but the only girl I wanted I couldn't have because I'd been the one to break up with you. Besides," he scoffed, shaking his head, "whatever I once saw in Santana must have gone 'cause there was no one I wanted less after the way she split us up."

In spite of whatever was to come, Rachel felt her lip twitch with a tiny smile.

"Thing is, she was kinda desperate, and kept telling me how much she wanted me and all this crap. I tried to ignore her as much as I could, and when we graduated, I was sure that it was over..."

"But?"

Finn looked away; he didn't want to have to break the news.

"Finn?"

"She blackmailed me into helping her out with a few things." He cleared his throat, shrugging in an attempt to act blasé, but it made him sound anything but. "She was running low on money, and once she heard about the success of the bar, she um, she yeah, asked if she could borrow some cash to settle a few debts."

Rachel's eyes narrowed. "How much money?"

"Does it matter?" Finn said as he shifted awkwardly. He knew it mattered, of course it fucking mattered, but he didn't want to talk about it all the same.

"_Tell me."_

"Thirty thousand dollars," he said in the smallest voice he could muster.

"Thirty-"

"At first."

Rachel's eyes widened. Finn had given more than thirty thousand dollars to Santana? "It wasn't a loan though, was it?" At his silence, she sighed, massaging her temple. "She didn't pay it back, did she, Finn?"

"No."

She refrained from lecturing on his stupidity, because as it turned out, she still had no idea what had provoked him to agree to such extreme circumstances. Despite her rage at Santana, all Rachel could feel was pity for the boy in front of her. "You said she blackmailed you... Mind telling me how exactly?"

Finn paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to tell half of the truth, rather than admitting everything.

That was wrong though. It was this way of thinking that had sparked their fight in high school, and he was a man for God's sake; he had to do this.

"A couple of months after I'd start Faithfully, she came sniffing around, asking for money, but at this point I was just starting out and I couldn't have helped if I'd wanted to." _And I really didn't want to_, he thought bitterly to himself. "I thought that was that, but when things started to pick up, she appeared again, only this time she had ammunition." Sighing with a shake of his head, he groaned a little. "She had a folder of photos, and who the hell knows where she got them..." Finn lowered his voice, squeezing Rachel's hand. "Can we just leave it at that?"

"No." The resolution in her voice meant that it was non-negotiable; at least he'd tried.

"They weren't of me, just to clarify. Maybe she knew I cared more about my family and friends than I did about myself, or maybe she just realised that I really had nothing to hide, or maybe it was both. Either way, the first photo she showed me was one of Puck scoring drugs from Mr- I mean, Sandy Ryerson."

Rachel looked outraged, and her eyebrows had practically jumped off her head. "Noah took _drugs?_ While we were still in high school?"

"I don't know, I never asked him," Finn replied, and that was the truth. He hadn't really understood the photo, and Santana had been forced to explain that a wheelchair-ridden Puck was buying drugs from Sandy, but it still didn't make sense. That had been the week when the glee club had been forced to use wheelchairs, right? So Puck had been using since sophomore year? (Or possibly even earlier, who knew?) The only thing Finn knew was that it wasn't his place to interfere, and if it was in the past, why should it bother him now? He knew Puck well enough to know that the guy was no longer on drugs (if he had been at all), and surely that was all that mattered?

"Why?"

Finn shook his head to try and keep his thoughts to a minimum (he still had a problem listening and thinking at the same time. "Sorry?"

Rachel bit her lip, looking down at their hands. "Why didn't you ask him? If he's your best friend, wouldn't you want to know?"

"No," he said curtly, his jaw clenching. "The way I see it, if he's clean now, what difference does it make? Imagine if you had something dark in your past that you'd overcome; would you want everyone talking about it now?"

_Shit_; way to go Hudson. Fucking hell, how was he supposed to tell her the rest of the story now? Finn didn't miss the way Rachel looked startled and remorseful, and he knew that she was thinking about the same thing that he was, only she had no idea that he had a clue about her 'dark' past.

"That's honourable, Finn," she said in a whisper. "You're good at giving second chances to people."

He grimaced. "Not really. It took long enough with us."

Rachel took the opportunity to kiss him tenderly, her hands resting on his shoulders as her tongue teased at his lips. She felt him relax at her touch, and she wished she could have the same luxury. "So," she began, toying with his hair as she looked into his eyes, "how did one photo warrant such large cash donations?"

"There was more than one, and none of them were exactly heart warming. I dunno if this sounds pathetic or whatever, but that photo, of Puck with Mr Ryerson... I didn't want Quinn to see it." He shrugged aimlessly; he had no idea how to explain how he felt about it all. "Even though I didn't have solid proof that they were hooking up, I knew that Puck and Quinn still had a thing going on, and- Hey, that rhymes! Anyway, they'd had to deal with a few obstacles, like Lauren Zizes and Jesse St. James, and-"

"Wait a minute!" Rachel squeaked, squeezing his shoulders with her fingers. "J-Jesse? What does he have to do with anything?"

Finn's eyes widened as he cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Oh, um, well, he might have kinda sort of dated Quinn for half a year..."

Rachel gulped; how... interesting. "Oh," was all she managed to say.

"Yeah, that was pretty much everyone's reaction, and for those painful six months, Puck refused to talk to Quinn, and she refused to talk to him just to prove a point. Long story short, Jesse broke her heart, Puck mended her or whatever, and then they were kind of on then off then on again." He waved his hand like he was brushing it away as he grinned goofily at her. "Whatever, their relationship drama is boring and it's not us, so why should we care?"

Rachel giggled a little. "That's true. So, these other photos?"

Ugggggggh. "Yeah, the other photos..." He rubbed his eyes wearily; there were _so_ many photos. "Erm, okay, Santana had managed to dig up dirt on everyone I'd known and liked from high school, including a suspicious rendezvous between Mr- _Will_ Schuester and a strange woman, even though he's married to Miss Pillsbury. Or Mrs Schuester now, whatever." Finn mentally ticked off the people in his head, angered by how many he could list. "There was a grainy video of Mike apparently stealing something from a convenience store, even though he's been training to become a cop for years now. Uh, there was a photo of Brittany going to a strip club alone, even though she's never _not_ been dating Artie. Yeah, those are just a few." Finn's eyes immediately flickered away, and he was waiting, just waiting for-

"Were there any of me?"

_That's_ what he'd been waiting for.

"Rach, I need to explain something first-"

"What was it Finn?" Her voice quivered in time with her lip, and shit, he didn't want her to cry.

"There were actually a few..." he began, looking sorry for himself. "I, look, just let me tell you something first, okay? There were like fifteen photos of you in there, but I only looked at one, just to, you know, make sure she wasn't bluffing."

"Finn?"

He sighed, scrunching his eyes closed. "They were pictures of you... topless."

"_Take a look at this one," Santana commanded, handing a photo to an ever reluctant Finn. He scanned the scenery, noting Central Park with a tiny smile of fondness; he was a frequent visitor (when he wasn't breaking his back working at the bar). His eyes flitted to the centre of the picture where a bench was situated, some guy sitting there that Finn had never seen before; kneeling in front of him in a very compromising position was someone with long dark hair._

"_What the hell is this?"_

_Santana snorted. "Oh please, you're not _that_ naive Finn. That is Tina Cohen-Cheat giving a secret man a _very_ good time."_

_Finn pushed the photo away, hiding his disgust at the things she was showing him. Most of them looked like there could be another explanation (take the Tina one; she could have just been tying the guy's shoelace!), but if they _were_ true... _

_He just didn't want to think about it._

"_I've seen enough," he spat, grabbing his cheque book from his desk. "How much?"_

"_Nu uh, not yet." Santana placed one last picture on Finn's desk. "These will no doubt interest you most of all, 'cause for whatever reason, dwarves make you all hot and bothered."_

_Finn's eyes snapped towards the picture, and he nearly died on visual impact; Rachel was, like, naked! Well, it was just a torso shot, but still, she wasn't wearing a bra, or, well, anything!_

"_Take it away," he snarled, throwing it on the floor. "What the hell are you playing at?"_

"_I have so many more in here," she said as she tapped her folder protectively, "and if you don't do as I say, they're going to be distributed to a few key sources, _especially_ the unsexy Berry ones."_

_Finn signed the cheque, feeling like he'd just sold his soul to the devil, and he thrust the paper out at her. "Now get out."_

_As she gave him a coy smile and blew him a kiss (which he, maturely by the way, caught in his hand and threw out of the window), Finn couldn't help thinking that the photo of Rachel had been anything but unsexy._

"I can't believe she has those pictures," Rachel said five minutes later, pulling at her hair while she shook with nerves. "I- Those p-photos... I was desperate, Finn. I had n-no money and I was sick of people telling me that I wasn't pretty, and the pay was good and the shoot was tasteful and-" She whimpered, burying her face against Finn's chest. "I didn't expect anyone to ever know, and that was- Oh Finn, what are we going to do?"

He furrowed his brow as he ran his hands up and down her back in soothing circles. "What do you mean?"

"Why is she here? Does she want more money?"

He sighed, kissing the top of her head. "Yeah, no doubt."

"But you're not going to pay her, are you?" Rachel looked up at him, her eyes red and sore with the need to cry.

"Babe, you've heard what I've just said. If I don't pay up, she'll send all of those pictures to places it'll hurt the most. What if she emails the picture of Mr- Will to Emma? They have a kid and they're happy, and all that would be ruined because I'm selfish."

Rachel tutted as she stroked his cheek. "It's not selfish to take care of yourself for a change. Besides, these photos aren't your problem. Mr Schuester should not have been having an affair behind his wife's back without thinking of the consequences, and the same goes for everyone else. They need to own up to their mistakes instead of making you the scapegoat, regardless of whether they know it."

"So you're perfectly happy with your photos being distributed over the internet? How about sent to your dads, to _Jacob_?" He shook his head; he'd already made his mind up about this. "I refuse to let that happen."

"You _have_ to," she urged, sniffling a little. "Yes, it may be rather embarrassing when that happens, but they weren't taken in bad taste, and you yourself told me I'm beautiful; maybe everyone else will think the same?" Before Finn could reply, Rachel kissed his cheek and jumped out of his lap. "Come on; you need to tackle Santana."

Finn was speechless; he couldn't believe she was taking it so well, and so _bravely_; he really wanted to screw her on his desk so he could be reminded of how beautiful her body _really_ was.

"Okay," he croaked, standing shakily as he took her tiny hand in his. "Let's do this I guess."

United, the two of them left Finn's office, and on possibly one of the longest journeys Finn had gone on (in his head, not like, _literally_), they made it to the bar, where Quinn was staring down Santana while the Latina flirted shamelessly with Puck.

The blonde glared at Finn as they appeared, as if suspecting that her visit was all his idea.

As far as his friends knew, Finn hated Santana because of what she'd done to him and Rachel. Though they'd tried to get him to move on, it was hard when the bitch was holding him by the balls (again, not literally 'cause that was a terrifying idea), and he hadn't been able to tell a fucking soul.

"Finn, why is _she_ here?" Quinn asked in the most angelic voice she could muster. That voice Finn knew all too well, and when it was used, it basically meant 'I'm trying to keep my cool but I'm severely close to killing someone'; at least he wasn't the one closest to her.

"I don't know, I definitely didn't invite her," he replied lowly, trying to stay emotionless. "What can I help you with Santana?"

The Latina turned her attention to Finn, and after she'd looked him up and down three times (for good measure since Berry was practically drooling over the giant), she gave him a genuinely pretty smile. "Can we talk in the back?"

"No," he said flatly. "If this is about our 'arrangement', then um, I've changed my mind!" He looked down at Rachel for guidance, and she gave him an optimistic thumbs up. "Yeah, that's right, I don't want to do this anymore." He slammed his fist down on the bar and marvelled at the way everyone but Rachel recoiled (and he also regretted his actions; the bar was frickin' solid!).

The smile that had once been present on Santana's face faded in an instant. "Don't toy with me, Finny, you know what I'm capable of." She looked at Rachel once, her nose wrinkling. "You know what I own, and it would be a great shame to-"

"I already know about the photos, Santana, so you can spare us the threatening speech and exit the premises."

Note to self; ruthless leader Rachel was a fucking hottie.

Santana took a step forward (and shamelessly, Finn winced, expecting some kind of physical attack) and pressed her mouth to his ear. "You've made the wrong choice Hudson, and mark my words; by the end of my payback, you'll be throwing money at me left, right and centre." She turned to wink at Puck, who couldn't make his mind up about her, and pulled a photo from her purse, handing it to Quinn. "To help you realise what a tool Puckerman is." With that, she disappeared into the crowd, but not before blowing a kiss to Finn, which he caught and threw to the ground, squashing the imaginary entity to pieces.

"What the fuck was that all about?" asked Puck in amazement. "And damn, Hummel's gonna be _pissed_ when he realises he missed out on all of the-"

"What is this?" Quinn said loudly, cutting Puck off while making Rachel gasp and look to Finn for guidance.

"Wha'?" Puck snarled defensively, snatching the picture from her grasp. "What is... Woah, okay, no one should be looking at this!" He slipped it into his pants pocket and pretended to continue working, but the fury on Quinn's face meant that his attempts were short lived.

"You had sex with Santana _on the hood of my car?"_

Finn took that as his cue to swiftly make his exit, and he tugged Rachel away from the unfolding drama; the last thing they could hear was "You told me those scuff marks were caused by a stray cat you _jackass!"_

"It's already starting," Finn muttered, more to himself than anything. Money was just money, and though he didn't owe Santana anything, it wasn't as if he couldn't survive without the cash.

This though? It was a whole lot worse than being slightly poorer, and he couldn't help but wonder if Rachel had forced him into the wrong choice.

"I know it's going to be hard, Finn, but you can't protect everyone."

She was right though, he knew she was, and he told her that by pulling her against him for a hug. "I know," he admitted, squeezing her a little too tightly. "I know this is a really bad time and everything, but if Puck and Quinn are arguing, I need you to work."

Rachel saluted him with a wide grin. "Yes sir, performing waitress duties sir!" She stood on the tips of her toes so she could press a kiss to his mouth, and then she was off, picking up Puck's slack.

Finn had a terrible feeling everything was going to go totally and utterly wrong, but at least he had Rachel.

The same couldn't be said for Jacob though, who sat in the corner of the bar, sipping timidly at his lemonade. No longer thirsty at their public display of affection, he abandoned his drink and left the bar, breathing in the smoky New York air.

"So, Jewfro, what's next?"

Jacob gave Santana a sly grin, and tapped his nose three times. "I'll tell you over dinner."

She rolled her eyes in revulsion but didn't protest; trust Berry to come into Finn's life and make him grow a pair.

**A/N: **Thank you a hundred times over for the amazing feedback on my last chapter! I really appreciate everyone reading and reviewing, so thank you as always; it gives me more motivation to update quicker so it's a win win I guess :) Anyway, the next chapter will be up as soon as I get my butt into gear and write it. Thanks guys! Rachael x


	9. Chapter 9

"Excuse me; how do I make a complaint?"

Finn silently counted to five in his head while he wore a practised, weary smile. "Through me, Mrs Warner, and I'm very sorry that you want to do so."

The old woman in front of him gave him a once over before she sighed and shook her head, clutching at her purse. "Mr Hudson, you know I'm a big fan of your establishment, and usually I wouldn't make a fuss over little details, but tonight's meal was inedible. I mean_ really_, have you hired a new chef? Because I normally order the fillet steak and it is always _flawless_, yet the one that appeared before me today was a _disgrace_." Finishing with an indignant huff, Finn assumed she had said her piece, and tried his best to stay calm.

"My head chef, Quinn Fabray, had some... unfortunate news, and has found it difficult to stay professional; I promise that it won't happen again."

"I hope not," said Mrs Warner harshly, though she patted him on the arm in an affectionate way nonetheless. "Goodnight Mr Hudson."

"Goodnight Mrs Warner, have a safe journey home."

One he was sure she was out of earshot, Finn was all but ready to storm into the kitchen to tell Quinn to pull herself together, though when Rachel hurried out carrying two plates of undignified slop, he knew he had to intervene.

"Wait, babe, you can't serve that," he said exasperatedly. "I've already received five complaints, and news travels fast."

Rachel looked down at the food, wrinkling her nose before gazing back at him. "I understand the lack of appeal, but Quinn's the only chef, and _honestly_ Finn, do you believe that to be an effective business strategy?"

Finn gave a noncommittal shrug. "People don't usually come here for the food, and Quinn normally handles it on her own..." Cursing under his breath, he snatched the plates from her grasp and headed towards the kitchen. "I guess I should give it a shot."

"No!" squeaked Rachel as she followed behind him like a lost puppy, "you burn cereal!"

"That was one time!"

"And this is a lot more complex than adding milk to frosted flakes," she said dryly. "Let me handle this."

Finn stopped in his tracks, almost spilling some kind of unidentifiable sauce onto the floor. "Rach, I can't just expect you to do that..."

" I'm volunteering myself. Besides, after tasting Quinn's banana bread, I know I can do a much better job than she's doing." She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to show she had initiative, and caught unawares by Finn's lips on hers, she was forced to push him away before he spilt food all over her hair.

"S-sorry," he spluttered, his ears turning red, "it's just, when you're all strong and saving the day and stuff... It's hot."

Rachel gave him a coy smile (accompanied by a quick squeeze of his ass) and took the plates before returning to the kitchen. "Tell the couple at the back that there's been a little delay." Granting him with one last smile and a wink, Rachel disappeared to join Quinn, leaving Finn already craving her company; best girlfriend _ever._

**Glee!**

Puck _hated_ being in the doghouse. He'd had enough similar experiences to know that it never ended well, and judging by the clambering of cutlery and the occasional curse word that emanated from the kitchen, it looked like Quinn was taking it personally; fucking Santana.

"I can't believe I chose to accompany Mercedes to the little girls' room at the _exact_ time that Satan paid a visit."

Puck growled, slamming down a cup of coffee that spilled onto the bar counter. "Will you just can it Hummel? I'm so sick of hearing you complain!" He turned to the younger boy with an angry snarl, and Kurt wisely took a few steps back. "You know what I can't believe? That Santana brought that photo with her in the first place! What the hell did I do to deserve that? Nothin', that's what!"

Just before Kurt had time to snap back with a witty retort, Finn came to the rescue with his much needed good news; "We're closing in ten so get everyone out."

Instead of helping as he usually did, Puck took the opportunity to storm off in a fit of frustration, leaving a less than impressed Kurt to clean up his mess.

"So, Finn, why was Santana here in the first please?"

"Huh? Oh, I dunno, nothing to do with me."

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he placed his hands on his hips. "Why is it that I have a feeling you're being less than truthful? You look extremely guilty."

"No I don't," replied Finn flatly (damn, Kurt knew him too well). He tried his best to keep his face straight as he changed the subject, 'cause no matter how suspicious the Santana stuff was, he was genuinely concerned for Quinn. "How's she doing?"

"You're going to have to replace a few cooking utensils, but apart from that she's doing terribly."

Finn rolled his eyes; Puckerman. "They'll sort things out, they always do."

"That's what I thought too, but I haven't seen her this angry before," Kurt admitted softly, shaking his head with a sigh. "Young love."

"Yeah, something like that. Look, I have a few things to sort out; can I leave you to it?"

Before Kurt could protest (he was his brother, he was obligated to help), Finn disappeared into the kitchen, holding his breath to assess the damage.

"Hey Rach, how's uh... how's everything?"

Rachel looked up from the stove, and despite the redness in her cheeks, the sweat on her forehead and the haphazard way that her hair was pulled into a ponytail, Finn was sure he'd never seen anything sexier.

"Exhausting and hectic," she all but panted. "If you're referring to Quinn, she's outside getting some fresh air, but she's pretty devastated. I tried to talk to her and offer some advice but she called me a few choice words that I'm positive she picked up from Noah."

"Maybe I should just pay Santana," Finn muttered.

"We've already been through this. Although you're a very selfless, caring person by nature, it's not your fault that your friends have done things that they are probably ashamed of." She gave him a timid smile. "Maybe you could go and talk to Quinn? After all, this is almost the same scenario that broke us up, so I'm sure you have some advice to offer."

Her words were tinged with sadness, which made Finn's heart ache a little. "Okay, I'll give it a go."

"Just don't tell her about being blackmailed."

"Right, yeah, good thinking. Do you need help cleaning up?"

"I'm good thank you; go and help Quinn."

Vowing to show her how much he appreciated her (in more ways than one), Finn waved at Rachel and made his way out of the kitchen, stepping into the small outer yard that was usually reserved for deliveries and the occasional private dry hump (unsurprisingly, Puck was the only one who had embraced that activity).

It was dark, and with minimal lighting, Finn had trouble finding Quinn. He strained his eyes and ears in a bid to try and locate her, and when he heard quiet, familiar sobs, he gulped painfully; he wasn't so great at being emotional.

He found her behind three large crates of Ohio's finest beer (Burt swore by the stuff). Finn lowered himself onto the slightly damp floor between the empty Twinkie wrappers (Kurt's guilty pleasure) and discarded cigarette butts (left by Katie, a former waitress), careful not to accidentally sit on her.

"Hey," he whispered, wrapping an arm around Quinn's shoulder. Though for a second he felt her recoil, it didn't take her long to lean into his touch, clutching at his shirt as she wept.

"Puck, h-he's an ass," she spluttered, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

"I know," said Finn with a nod, "but you love him, and if he wasn't an ass, he wouldn't be Puck."

This elicited a half laugh, half sob. "But he, Finn, he-"

"I know," he said again while he rubbed soothing circles on her shoulder. "And believe me, he's an idiot, but I've been there, and-"

"He _lied_ to me," she spat, narrowing her eyes with fury. "He told me Santana had offered him sex but he'd said _no_."

Finn felt sick to the stomach; their situation was more similar than he'd realised. God, why was Santana always causing trouble?

"And have you thought of _why_ he lied to you? Maybe he was so scared that you'd want nothing to do with him anymore. Maybe he was so ashamed of what he'd done that he didn't want to admit his stupid mistake to you, never mind himself. Maybe he just didn't fucking _think_."

Quinn, her eyes wide and fearful, gazed up at Finn, who looked close to tears himself.

"I can't just forget this."

"But you can't give up on him either. Rachel thought I slept with Santana because I didn't love her, but it was _because_ I had feelings for her that I had sex; I was jealous and lonely and I didn't think I'd get another shot at her."

Quinn pursed her lips as she played with her dress. "I never thought..."

"Mmm?"

"I was dating Jesse at the time, and I didn't realise... I didn't think that he might have been jealous."

Finn clenched and unclenched his jaw. "Trust me, St. James brings out the worst in everyone."

Quinn managed a laugh. "Not one of my finest decisions." She pressed a small kiss to his cheek, patted his leg as a thank you, then stood up and brushed herself down. "Sorry about the food," she whispered gingerly.

"Don't worry; Rachel saved the day. Just think about what I said."

"Goodnight Finn and... and thank you."

"Night Quinn, see you tomorrow."

**Glee!**

Santana sat on the sidewalk, taking a hurried breath of air before inhaling another mouthful of unsatisfying smoke. Cigarettes were more of a habit than a pleasure, and briefly, she wondered if it was the same way for everyone; she no longer got enjoyment from the dirty little sticks, but she didn't get enjoyment from a lot of things these days.

She glanced down at her watch and chuckled humourlessly to herself; it wouldn't be long until he came looking for her.

"Lopez, you said you were only going to smoke one."

Right on time.

Santana stood up unsteadily on her overly large heels and crushed her cigarette under her foot. "That was my only one. I was trying to savour it." She glanced once at Jacob, who gave her an indignant glare.

"Is that so? Frightened to be in my presence?" His words were accompanied with an inhuman smile, and with a shudder, Santana felt a pang of revulsion course through her veins.

"What? No, I just haven't seen Berry in a while. I was... mulling things over." She placed her hands on her hips. "So, _sir_, what next?"

"All in good time my pretty, all in good time." Jacob ran his hand down Santana's arm before returning to the restaurant, and when she was sure he wasn't watching, she retched.

"_Why did you do it?"_

_Santana looked up from her sheet music, unaware that their glee rehearsal was over for the day. She'd been so caught up in, well, _everything,_ that she hadn't taken in a word spoken by Mr Schue._

_Whatever, like she cared._

"_Do what?" she asked blankly._

_Brittany shrugged her shoulders. "Why did you tell everyone about having sex with Finn? Didn't you know how much it would hurt Rachel?"_

_Santana rolled her eyes dismissively; she hadn't expected Brittany to give her the third degree. "So I spilled the beans, big deal." She scrunched up the paper and shoved it forcefully into her purse, knowing that she wasn't going to look at it again. She'd said it before and she'd say it again; everyone knew she was only there to look hot._

"_What? I don't understand what beans have to do with Finn and Rachel..."_

_Santana scowled because as much as she could tolerate Brittany's daily confusion, she wasn't in the mood for explaining her actions when she barely knew her motives herself. "Just drop it, Britt."_

"_Why did you do it?"_

"_Because I'm a bitch, okay?" she snapped, jumping up out of her seat. "I don't need to have a motive to be a bitch, and I was sick of seeing Frankenteen and Hobbit so frickin' happy all the time."_

"_But we're a family," Brittany said quietly. She looked up from her seat, her eyes big and shiny and confused, and she shrugged once more. "I think Finn and Rachel are cute together, and they deserve to be happy. _Everyone _deserves to be happy."_

"_And then why aren't I happy, hmm? Why am I never happy?"_

_The kicker was that neither of them knew the answer._

**Glee!**

With the bar locked up and closed for the night, and with a newly reunited Puck and Quinn (according to a mortified Kurt, who'd found them half naked in the storeroom, partaking in a frantic makeout session), Finn tried to believe that things were going to be okay. If Quinn had been able to overcome the photo that Santana had left, then it was likely that everyone else would be able to deal with their respective bombshells, right? At least, that's what Rachel kept insisting, and Finn just tried to make himself believe her; there wasn't much else he could do.

"What if Santana gave you a photo of me hurting you somehow?" Finn mused in the darkness. Though they'd both hoped that once they were done for the day they could give the whole sex thing another go, by the time they'd gotten back to Finn's apartment, they were both exhausted beyond measure. Instead, and almost as satisfying, they'd curled up in his bed together, Finn's arm around Rachel's shoulders, her head on his chest.

"Hmm?" she asked sleepily.

"This photo stuff. What if Santana produced a picture of me that looked bad; would you react the same way as Quinn?"

"No," she said without a second thought.

"Oh, cool."

"If I've learnt anything, it's that issues can be talked out. If I'd stopped to listen to what you had to say about your first time with Santana, we might not have split up at all, and if you'd stopped to listen to what I had to say earlier today, you wouldn't have gotten so worked up."

"Yeah, that's true."

"You've no reason to believe that she has such a photo, do you Finn? I mean, is there anything that you're not proud of?"

Finn chuckled. "Believe me, there are so many things I'm not proud of. But no, nothing that Santana would be interested in, unless she has a photo of me testing out an automatic toilet that wet my pants when I tried to flush it."

"That doesn't surprise me," Rachel said with a giggle. She let out a tiny sigh as she nuzzled her face against him, and draped her arm over his chest. "Let's just hope that she's bluffing; it might have even blown over tomorrow."

"Yeah," yawned Finn, though he didn't sound convinced. "Night babe, I love you."

"I love you too Finn; goodnight."

**Glee!**

Finn woke the next morning to the welcome smell of bacon and eggs, and practically skipped into the kitchen, ready to thank his super awesome girlfriend for being super awesome.

"Something smells-"

"Oh for the love of God, cover yourself up!"

Finn stopped in his tracks at the same time that his jaw hit the floor, because it wasn't just Rachel who was in his apartment; Kurt was on the couch, staring at Finn's naked form.

Awkward.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he spluttered. Finn grabbed the closest thing he could find, and though it wasn't particularly flattering, his crocodile oven mitt managed to cover his modesty.

"You mean apart from being scarred for life?" Kurt shuddered and paused, toying with the hem of his jacket. "Quinn received an envelope addressed to me, and inside was a photo."

"What kind of photo?"

When Kurt shook his head and began to tear up, Rachel took the bacon off of the heat so she could focus on the conversation properly. "A photo of Sam kissing a blonde girl."

"On the lips," Kurt managed to hiss. "He's gay, so I don't understand what he's doing! He's had plenty of time to experiment over the years! I must have done this, I must have forced him into the arms of some tramp after I proposed to him and-"

"Hold up," said Finn wearily, "you proposed to the dude?"

"Oh how exciting!" gushed the tiny girl beside him, who was practically jumping up and down in happiness. "When? How did you pop the question? What did-"

"I don't think now's the best time, babe."

Rachel snapped her mouth shut and nodded. "Right, of course, there's a time and place for everything." Resisting the urge to smirk at the sight of Finn wearing nothing but an oven mitt (which would need to be thoroughly washed), she sat beside Kurt and took his hand before giving it a comforting squeeze. "You need to speak to Sam, and before you protest, you have to. It could be a misunderstanding, it could be just a friend, or could even be an old picture. If you really love him, Kurt, then you need to give him the chance to explain."

Finn smiled to himself, quietly impressed by Rachel's ability to handle the situation, and even Kurt managed a tiny smile, however brief. "You're right," he sniffled, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet and Santana is such a vindictive harpy that it wouldn't surprise me if she's just trying to cause trouble. Thank you, Rachel."

Rachel beamed at him, and Finn could tell that she loved being able to help. "No problem; I genuinely hope you manage to get to the bottom of it all."

Kurt let himself out (after giving Finn a dirty glare), and Rachel turned her attention to her boyfriend, whose cheeks began to redden at the realisation that he was pretty much naked.

"The crocodile is an interesting touch," she grinned, and a giggle escaped her lips when Finn did his best impression of a dinosaur.

"Wait, what noise do crocodiles make?"

"I don't know, but your breakfast is getting cold Mr Hudson."

"You're too kind Mrs Hudson."

Rachel eyes widened at the same time that Finn realised his error, and he dropped the oven mitt in response. "Woah, babe, I shouldn't have- Don't take that the wrong way."

"And which way would that be?" she asked, a sour note to her voice. "Is it because the idea of marrying me repulses you?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant." Ignoring that he was completely naked, Finn took a few steps forward until he was looking down at Rachel, his eyes pleading her to understand. "I actually meant... Well, I love you Rach, and I know we haven't been back together for long but I still think about the future, and I guess, um, Mrs Rachel Hudson has a ring to it, or Rachel Berry Hudson if you want to keep-"

Rachel kissed him to shut him up before she burst into tears (happy tears, just to be clear), and though she was aware that he wasn't wearing anything at all, she still pressed her body up against him while her lips mashed comfortably with his . His hands rested on her butt and hers found refuge in his bed hair, and while the bacon became cold, both of their bodies began to heat up drastically.

Finn was the first to break away so that he could catch his breath (though the twinkle in his eye proved just how much he wanted to continue). "I'm so torn right now," he moaned, pressing his forehead to Rachel's.

"How so?"

"I really wanna carry on where we left off," he practically purred, and in case it wasn't obvious enough, he squeezed Rachel's ass, causing her to jump in surprise. "But the bacon smells incredible and I'm frickin' starving."

"Then eat so that you have _plenty_ of energy for later." Rachel dragged her fingernails down his chest, stopping just above his groin, and licked her lips before giving him a wink. "Don't be long Mr Hudson."

Finn was sure he'd set a new world record for fastest bacon eater ever. 

**Glee!**

"That was-"

"Perfect? Breathtaking? Much more enjoyable than the first time around?"

Finn let out a breathy chuckle as he kissed the top of Rachel's head. "I was gonna such fucking epic but yeah, those too."

"I could get used to this whole sex business," she said coyly, tracing her fingers over his lightly defined abs. "Especially the way you say my name when you're about to, you know..."

"Yeah, I know," Finn whispered hastily. He hoped Rachel wouldn't notice the way his cheeks and ears burnt with embarrassment, but he had no such luck, since she tilted her head slightly to examine his face.

"So you have no problem when I see you naked, no problem when you see me naked, but you're bashful about the fact that you have a very sexy moan?"

"Raaach, come on, do we really have to talk about it? It's not voluntary, I just- You're so hot and awesome and the way you touch me..." He shrugged and gave her his best pout, which he'd learnt from the Miss Berry master. "It's not my fault my body loves your body."

Rachel giggled and shifted beside him so she could press her lips to his sweaty cheek. "It's not a bad thing, really, and it makes me come undone because your eyelids flicker, and you gulp and lick your lips, and you pull this extremely _wonderful _face." She sighed dramatically, once again resting her face on his chest. She loved listening to his heart beat under her ear, because as unbelievable as it seemed, it was beating for her. "I don't like how I can't stay quiet."

"Are you kidding me?" Finn practically wailed. "That's the best part! You're loud anyway-" Rachel shot him a warning glare, and Finn felt the hair on the back of his neck stick up. "I mean it in a good way babe, honest. But like, I didn't think you'd be loud in the bedroom too, and umf, you have _no_ idea what it does to my body, and my ego, to hear how much you're enjoying it, this, us, you know?" He made a noise of indignation while he gently pulled his fingers through her hair, smiling at the way she purred in enjoyment. "I thought I'd gotten better at being eloquent, but then you turned up and I sound like a high schooler again."

"I think you have a wonderful way with words and I understand exactly what you mean."

"You do?"

She nodded, and when he stopped playing with her hair, she let out a tiny growl. "Don't stop," she whined, and Finn laughed loudly, resigned to pampering her some more.

"I remember you saying _that_ a lot too."

"How very charming of you to bring it up."

"Oh Finn, don't _stop_, oh oh, _Finn_!"

Rachel slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "I don't sound anything like that!

"I love you Rach," he said earnestly, and the pretend frown that had rested on her face disappeared in an instant.

"I love you too." Sitting up whilst wrapping a sheet around her body (she had no problem with being naked in front of him, but she needed his attention and he was easily distracted), Rachel placed a hand on his chest, and did her best to look like she didn't want to jump his bones again. "I've been thinking, and-"

"Oh God, you're totally gonna break up with me!"

Rachel rolled her eyes at the same time that Finn tried to pull her in for a hug. Reluctantly, she pushed him away because it was serious, and he smelt way too amazing for his own good. "Not right now I'm not. You see, when Kurt came over, I was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. As far as I know, Quinn didn't receive any more photos of Noah being indiscrete, and neither did Mercedes." She felt Finn stiffen when the subject of Santana came up again, and though she wanted to kiss away the worried frown from his face, she couldn't. "I believe that she's going to go after your friends, one at a time, until you succumb to her demands. The only solution I can see is quite simple."

"We kill her and stuff her body in the garbage disposal?"

"That's plan B," she said with a mischievous smile, and Finn managed to crack a grin. "We need to confront her head on. Obviously, we don't know where she's staying, or if she's even in New York anymore, but if we contact Brittany, maybe she'd be able to shed some light on the way her friend is behaving."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck while he sucked in a breath. "I dunno, I don't think Britt and the bitch stayed in contact after high school."

"What makes you say that?"

He sat forward, pressing a hand to his mouth in thought. "When we graduated, everyone was happy and stuff." He winced at the way that Rachel's eyes seemed to cloud over, because of course, she hadn't been happy, and in reality, neither had Finn. "We promised to keep in contact and everything but with people moving away, it didn't really happen. I tried to call the guys now and again but sometimes it went weeks without hearing from anyone. Anyway um, Artie called me... actually, I don't remember when that was, but he asked if I'd heard from Santana."

"Oh?" Rachel asked, sitting forward a little in interest.

"Yeah; it turns out that Brittany had had some kind of argument with her best friend and she refused to talk to Artie about it; she kept saying something about right and wrong and he couldn't make sense of it all. Course, then about a week later, Santana appeared asking for money but I was too preoccupied with the bar to think of letting Artie know."

"I wonder what debts she was referring to when she asked for help?" She pursed her lips to try and come to some logical explanation, but how could Santana have accumulated such big financial difficulties?

"I dunno, I didn't exactly ask."

Rachel pulled the sheet around her a little tighter, grabbed a scrunchie that was beside her heap of clothes on the floor, and tugged her hair into an unruly pony tail in an attempt to gather her thoughts.

It did little to help though, and considering that she should have been putting her energy into preparing for Sean's imminent visit, she knew that they had to deal with Santana by any means possible.

"I'm going to call Brittany," she stated while looking under the bed for her underwear. "Even if she hasn't spoken to Santana recently, she might be able to help me without knowing it, and I can't just sit around while more photos are distributed."

"But babe, today's my day off and we have, like, the _whole day_ to, you know..." Finn shrugged, giving her his best 'I really love you and we should just screw each other without stopping' look, but he obviously had a lot of work to do on perfecting it, 'cause Rachel continued to dress herself.

"Sorry Finn, but I need to get to the bottom of this, and then we can fuck as much as you want." Pulling her dress over her head, she smiled sweetly. "I'll be freshening myself up in the bathroom."

When the source of his sudden boner had disappeared from sight, Finn literally pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming; Rachel's discarded bra and the word 'fuck' ringing in his ears said that she was most _definitely_ real.

**Glee!**

_Santana paced up and down in Brittany's bedroom, practically biting off her fingernails while the blonde simply watched her with intrigue, though said nothing (which made a welcoming, and slightly worrying, change)._

"_So you don't want to know why I'm here at three in the morning?" the Latina finally ventured. She stopped long enough to stare Brittany down, and was met with an infuriating lack of _anything_, like she was always expecting Santana to just appear at ridiculous times of the day._

"_Yeah, but I thought you'd tell me and I didn't want to make you mad."_

_Santana was about to quip back with "You never make me mad," but that would lead down a dangerous road, and she had come to see her best friend for a reason. _

"_Santana?"_

_She was aware that she hadn't said anything in a while, but when what needed to be said was so difficult, it came as no surprise that she was stalling. "Yeah Britt?"_

"_I love you, and you know that, right? We'll always be friends."_

_The way Brittany said it, so simple and full of honesty, made Santana tear up, but fuck it, she wasn't supposed to be getting emotional. She had to settle it once and for all, and she couldn't be all weepy and shit._

"_Even if I've done something terrible?"_

"_That isn't true though because you could never do anything wrong."_

_Santana gritted her teeth to stop herself from saying something she'd no doubt regret. "I've fucked up a lot of things in the past, and I know I'm gonna do it again in the future."_

"_No you're not."_

"_Just shut the hell up!" She got no pleasure from the way that Brittany recoiled like she'd just seen the Easter bunny getting bitch slapped, yet a part of her, a very selfish and dark part, believed that it was for the best. "I'm not some frickin' saint, Brittany! I don't go around helping homeless kittens and I don't compliment people on their hideous outfits and I can never do anything right, so stop telling me how perfect I am."_

"_You helped Lord Tubbington when he was choking on a fish bone," Brittany said desperately, as if she was clinging to the notion of Santana being a good person. "And I never said you were perfect. Nobody's perfect San, and you're sometimes mean to people and you don't like horses, but you're my friend."_

_Santana narrowed her eyes and sucked in a breath of despair. "You're not going to think I'm anything when I tell you what I've done."_

**Glee!**

Usually, Finn's days off were spent catching up with sleep, since he worked late every day of the week. Part of that was because he _still_ didn't have enough staff members to make an effective rota system, and part of that was because he didn't really have a life outside of the bar.

Puck hated that. Finn had lost count of the times his best friend had drunk called him at four in the morning to bitch about how he missed the 'old days', and though he'd never specified which ones he meant, Finn assumed he wasn't talking about the times Puck screwed him over.

Kurt had brought it up a few times too. Sometimes he'd casually ask about his brother's love life while gushing about his own, and sometimes he'd ask outright why Finn was such a recluse.

His same response to both of them was always the same; "It's my life", and depending on how pissed Kurt was about Finn's lack of a social life, he'd break into their mashup from high school that sometimes received a tiny smirk in response.

As far as he saw it, it was his own goddamn business what he did with his time. Okay, he understood that his mom was a little worried that he was lonely and sad and frightened of the big bad city of New York or something, but that was the way he liked it, you know? He had his friends, and he had his bar, and just because he wasn't dating, it wasn't as if he was completely discontent with the way things had turned out.

Instead of sleeping though, Finn was sitting on the tiny couch in his tiny living room, his head in his hands as he listened to his girlfriend catch up with Brittany. She'd started off with the usual questions, such as "How are you enjoying the weather?" and "Are you and Artie happy together?" and "How's that delightful cat of yours?", but the longer she talked, the harder he could tell she found it.

When you talked to Brittany, you had to be ready to be patient, 'cause she possessed the ability to change the subject without warning or need. Therefore, Finn watched humourlessly as Rachel became more and more frustrated with the lack of information she was getting from Brittany (how Artie had put up with her for so long he'd never know).

"Yes, Brittany, I understand that you like going to the zoo but I was just wondering about Santana." Rachel let out a silent sigh of annoyance as one hand tugged at her hair, and when she caught Finn's gaze, she rolled her eyes. "No, I've never tried eating octopus before because I'm a proud vegan, though you know, I think Santana may have- Yes, Finn's here." She handed over her cell phone and practically collapsed into Finn's lap, her head resting on his legs while she let out an indignant whine. "She wants to speak to you."

"Awesome," Finn said with a smirk. He kissed her once on the forehead and took the phone from her outspread hand, licking his lips before readying his patience. "Hey Britt, how are things?" He smiled down at Rachel as he listened to her many stories about Lord Tubbington and Lady Whiskerly, the newest addition to her family.

"Maybe you were right," Rachel whispered. "I guess she doesn't know anything about Santana."

"Me?" Finn said, pressing a finger to her lips, which she sucked into her mouth and caused him to bite back a groan. "Oh, you know, the usual. Well, me and Rach are back together now and-" He held the phone away from him suddenly, wincing at the screams of delight that emanated from the other end. "Jeez Brittany, that was a little loud. Yeah, I'm really happy for us too." He smiled lovingly down at the girl who was mirroring his expression, and as he listened to Brittany's congratulations, he ran a finger over Rachel's face as a way of remembering every little detail. "Puck and Quinn still work at the bar, yeah, and Kurt and Mercedes are visiting. They were only gonna be staying a night, but it looks like they're taking a permanent vacation here or something. I um, I also saw Santana yesterday, and- Hello, Brittany?"

Rachel sat up, frowning at the confusion on Finn's face. "What happened?"

"I think she just hung up on me." The cell phone in his hand began ringing two seconds later, and with a shrug, Finn answered. "Is- Oh, hey Artie! What happened?"

Rachel stayed silent while Finn talked to Artie. She tried to follow the conversation as best she could, but it seemed that the two of them were catching up more than anything, and not wanting to intrude, she left him to it, determined to clean the kitchen to keep herself busy.

As she scrubbed tirelessly at the beaten kitchen counters, there was a knock on the door that made her jump, and though she felt a little uncomfortable answering it when it was probably Finn they wanted, she knew that he was preoccupied, so she brushed herself down and opened the door. Standing in a non-descript navy uniform, his head shaved and his eyes small, was a man holding a brown envelope. He didn't wait for Rachel to question his appearance, but simply thrust the envelope at her before skulking off, ignoring her pleas for him to stay.

She knew what was in the envelope before it had even been opened, and as Finn continued to laugh and joke with Artie, Rachel felt her heart race at the name on the front; Rachel Berry. Careful not to arouse any suspicion from her boyfriend, she calmly made her way into the bedroom and ripped open the documents once the door was closed.

She'd half expected the photos to be some of the topless ones that Finn had mentioned the day before, and in that expectancy, she had assured herself that things would be okay. She wasn't ashamed of her body (and her sexual experiences with Finn had only helped to make her proud of the way she looked), and if they _were_ eventually distributed to anyone and everyone, it wasn't as if they were degrading.

Her logic was completely off base though. Why would Santana send her the photos when she wanted to cause as much damage as possible? The best way to hurt her was to incriminate Finn, and as her eyes flickered over the photo in her grasp, she realised that that was exactly what Santana had done.

The picture was of Finn smoking. Rachel peered into the envelope, expecting to see more, but it seemed to be the only one.

"Really?" she muttered to herself, scrutinising the photo in case she was missing the obvious scandal; all she could see was her beautiful boyfriend holding a cigarette.

"Hey babe, who was that?"

Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin at Finn's voice. She turned to him, a practised smile on her face, because she _knew_ she was missing the big picture; Santana _surely_ wasn't threatening them with this?

"A delivery... for me," she said quietly, handing him the photo. "Though I fail to see how this is supposed to make me hate you."

Looking nothing less than mortified, Finn reluctantly took the picture, then snorted instantly at the subject. "I swear, I wasn't smoking that! Katie, the girl who used to work here, she had me hold it for her while she went to the bathroom and God, Rach, you have to believe me, I've never smoked before!"

"It's okay," she insisted, taking the photo and throwing it to the ground. "I believe you, and even if you had been smoking, it's not _that_ big of a deal, is it?"

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You don't understand. A couple of years ago, my mom's brother, my Uncle Jeremy, died after contracting lung cancer, and he basically lived off of cigarettes. I _promised_ my mom I'd never touch them 'cause she was so upset, and she was terrified that I'd suddenly become addicted like my uncle, and yeah..." He gazed down at the picture on the floor, and he felt his blood run cold. "What if Santana sent one to my mom? And like, how does she know about this? Because for anyone else, it would just be a cigarette and..." He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to ignore the worry on Rachel's face. "Anyway, um, Britt and Artie are gonna visit tomorrow because Brittany wants to talk to us about Santana, and Artie wants to say hi, so that's progress, right?"

Rachel nodded, even if she felt slightly nauseous at the thought of seeing them again. "Any information is a step in the right direction." Wearing a loving smile to hide her anxiety, she held her arms out, and looked up at him as she said quietly, "Will you hug me, Finn?"

Curled against Finn's chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her while he kissed her hair and showered her in compliments, Rachel spent the rest of the afternoon in his embrace, and almost managed to forget that Santana Lopez was trying to ruin their lives.

**Glee!**

_Santana stared into her locker, her eyes fixed on the mirror hung on the door. The bags under her eyes were more than noticeable, and no amount of makeup had been able to hide them. _This,_ looking like a complete dork, was what she got for trying to be a human for a change. The things Brittany had said, about Finn and Rachel being happy, had really fucking got to her, and no matter how much she hated Berry (scratch that; strongly disliked was probably more appropriate), Britt was right; she still deserved to be happy._

_She'd practiced her apology so many times the night before that she knew she could easily recite it in her sleep (which would have been preferable since she'd forsaken sleep to write the damn thing). She knew that as soon as she saw the hobbit dressed in her usual granny clothes, she'd forget most of what she needed to say so that she could get away from her as quickly as she could, but she figured it was the thought that counted, right? Sure, something like that._

_Santana took a deep breath, blinked a few times in an effort to rid herself of her exhaustion, and when she saw Rachel out of the corner of her eye, she readied herself for the best apology anyone had ever made ever._

_Only, when she closed her locker and started towards the small girl, Santana noticed tear marks staining her cheeks, and holy crap, her socks didn't match! It wasn't like she always made a note of what Rachel wore, but even if she dressed like a blind old biddy, she looked presentable and smart and whatever. On even closer inspection, Santana noticed crease marks in her skirt, and her hair was messy like she'd just woken up, and-_

_And she was wearing the same cringey cat sweater as she had been the day before._

_Santana gulped, and the apology she'd prepared disappeared. There was no way she could handle facing Berry if she was emotionally unstable or some shit, and anyway, there'd be plenty of time to apologise for outing her fumble with Finnocence._

_As she passed her in the hallway, she was sure she saw some kind of expectancy in Rachel's eyes, but she dismissed that and hurried to her class; Santana Lopez didn't do apologies anyway._

**Glee!**

After writing another countless address on front of a brown envelope, Santana took a second to massage her temple with a quiet groan. New York was supposed to be the place where people achieved their dreams and enjoyed life and all that kind of crap, right? So why the hell was she still sitting in her hotel room, doing favours for Jacob?

Well, they weren't exactly favours when he had enough information to completely destroy her life, so she wasn't allowed to be picky.

Still, she couldn't help thinking about all the wrong decisions she'd made as she ran her sore tongue along the tenth envelope that day. Most of the incriminating photos that she'd been forced to look at weren't even that bad, and fucking hell, she'd been in the same positions countless times, and then some.

She picked up the next one on her list, and her eyes scanned the photo of Quinn Fabray, McKinley's little angel. God, once upon a time she'd worshipped the blonde girl. Before Glee, and before Sue Sylvester had pitted them against each other, they'd been the equivalent of best friends. Quinn was smart and beautiful and, surprisingly, a real friend when Santana had needed it, and thinking back, she'd lost track of how many sleepovers they'd had, how many secrets they'd shared, how many memories they'd created.

It was a bitch that life had screwed them both over, and had transformed them into competitive mortal enemies. She had wondered, so many times, if Quinn felt regret over the way things had turned out, because though she'd never openly admit it, Santana regretted every single fucking thing.

Now here she was, staring down at a photo of Quinn holding a small child, and though she wasn't sure what Jacob meant to do with it, she checked his master list of shit stirring, and paired it up with the person it was supposed to go to; Noah Puckerman.

Santana pursed her lips in thought. Maybe Puck didn't know that Quinn had been seeing their lovechild in secret? Whatever, she wasn't there to think, and she didn't let herself think for long, 'cause the more time that passed, the more disconnected she became. She couldn't let herself feel for the losers that she'd once known and liked (maybe even loved), because when it came down to their happiness and her own, she chose hers every time; that was just the way things had to be.

She grabbed the last photo for the night so she could get some sleep before Jacob came back and tried to cop a feel, and when she saw Brittany, her sweet, gullible Brittany, she felt something crack inside her, almost as if a tiny shard of ice had shattered within her heart.

The photo was of the two of them back in high school, and though Santana couldn't figure out how Jacob had managed to get a picture, she didn't think about that. A tear trickled down her face and landed on the photo of Brittany kissing her, and without warning, she sobbed like she'd never sobbed before.

**Glee!**

"_Talked to Sam and the girl in the picture is his cousin so everything's a-okay (though I may need to talk to her about being inappropriate with a family member). Thanks for helping Rachel, and say hi to Finn for me x"_

Rachel proudly read out the text, doing little to hide the beaming smile from her face. Not only was it a misunderstanding between Kurt and Sam, but he'd thanked her; that's what friends did!

"He also says hi," she grinned, and Finn let out a breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"Awesome, I'm glad they're okay, they make a..." He scrunched his nose up slightly. "What's a good word for me to call them without saying cute? 'Cause I love them both, but not that much."

Rachel giggled as she pressed her face to his shoulder. "How about perfect? Because the more I think about it, the more perfect they seem for each other."

"Yeah, okay, but not as perfect as us though, right?"

Rachel nodded firmly. "Right; never forget that." They shared a quick, tender kiss that left Rachel swooning and left Finn with slightly tighter pants, and when someone rapped their knuckles against the front door, they both stared at each other, not wanting to see what the next threat was.

"I've got a feeling we're gonna be in constant fear all the time," Finn murmured, pressing his face to Rachel's hair in the hope that he could pretend it wasn't happening.

"I'll get it."

"No," he said, kissing the top of her head, "I'll go; stay." He lifted Rachel gently from his lap, kissed her again for good measure, then begrudgingly made his way to the door, not really ready for another ridiculous photo.

Stood in the doorway, a bored expression on his face, was a man holding a huge pizza box. He acknowledged Finn with a grunt, then thrust the box into his stomach before holding his hand out expectantly.

"I didn't order any pizza."

"Well someone did, so you gotta pay."

Finn was pretty sure that pizzas ordered as pranks had to be paid for by the delivery guy, but thinking about it, he was pretty hungry, and Rachel's homemade soup hadn't filled him completely.

"Fine, alright, how much?"

Finn forked out a couple of notes from his pants pocket (making sure not to tip the douche 'cause he hadn't exactly been the friendliest guy), closed the door behind him, then walked into the living room with a smug smile on his face.

"Well? Who is... Oh, pizza? I didn't know you'd ordered any. Wasn't my soup very nice?"

"I loved it," he said honestly, 'cause he had (he just wished there had been more of it). "Apparently someone ordered a pizza to be delivered here though, and-"

"Don't open it!" Rachel shrieked. She jumped out of her seat, grabbed the greasy pizza box and ran to hide it in the kitchen, returning with her hands over her ears. "It could be a bomb!"

Finn let out an overly loud chuckle because man, she really was adorable. "Rach, this isn't an episode of 24."

She lowered her hands in time to cock her head in confusion. "And 24 is?"

Finn gawped at her in shock. "You've never seen 24?" She shook her head. "You don't know who Jack Bauer is?" Another shake of her head. "For real?" Shake shake shake. "Wow, okay, if this relationship is gonna work, we'll have to have a 24 marathon when all this shit is over." He took one of her hands so he could place a kiss on her palm. "It's just a pizza, honest. I'm sorry though, 'cause it won't be vegan friendly."

"Don't worry about me, I'm full to the brim with soup and bread," she said with a smile. "Now hurry up, you don't want it to get cold. Shall we watch the first episode of this television series while you eat?"

Not sure he could love her any more than he already did, Finn licked his lips and went to inspect the pizza. He wasn't too picky when it came to toppings, and as long as it didn't have anchovies on it, he'd consider it edible.

He opened the lid, bracing himself for a pretend bomb, though the contents were probably worse, considering.

"R-Rach, c'mere a sec."

Rachel wandered in behind him, her smile quickly fading, and as he pointed at the pizza, she gasped and pressed a hand to her throat. Spelled out with various toppings were the words 'B CAREFUL HUDSON'.

"We have to call the police," Rachel croaked. She wrapped her hands around Finn's arm and clung to him tightly, because this was bigger than she'd ever imagined, and for whatever reason, Jacob (and possible accomplices) were endangering Finn's life.

"Fucking douchebag," he hissed as he slammed his hand on top of the pizza box, banging it shut with a squelch. "How did he know that I don't like anchovies?"

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay! I'm actually on holiday right now and I'm stealing someone's wi-fi so I can update this thing, so I probably won't be able to upload another chapter until I'm back in a week so. Thanks for the reviews so far, and feedback on this chapter would be wonderful :) (also, I haven't had chance to reply to the older reviews, but I'll do that when I'm back ^^ x)


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: This chapter includes violence, so this is just a heads up in case anyone wants to stop reading now. Enjoy! (I think) **

A regular week in Finn Hudson's life involved, well, not a lot really. His lifestyle was over glamorised by the media, and when he wasn't working all hours at the bar, he alternated between answering questions, taking interviews, and sleeping; his social life was pretty lame. At times, he missed his Lima life when he only had to worry about which puffy vest to wear and who he was gonna kick the crap out of on COD.

However, his boring New York lifestyle was a breeze compared to the one that Rachel had brought with her like a hurricane. He suddenly found himself excited again and desperate to get time off to spend with her, and that felt nice (hell, it was fucking awesome).

The downside was, by the time a week had passed since Santana's first visit, everything was going up in flames around him. Emma Pillsbury-Schuester had called in tears, crying over a photo that incriminated her husband somehow, and when Finn asked what it had to do with him, she told him that his name and number had been scribbled onto the back of the picture. Finn apologised for her problems but he could do little else, and Rachel did her best to help relieve his guilt.

It worked, for a day at least. Early one morning, Mike Chang sent him a desperate text of distress over a photo that 'proved' Tina didn't love him, and Finn had a heated argument with the guy, which ended with Mike calling him some words that he didn't want to think about. Rachel tried again to help Finn, but as the days went on, and as he received more and more phone calls and emails from people who had had been affected by these photos, it was obvious that it was taking its toll on him.

"I've asked Sean to push back his visit because of 'staffing issues' at the bar, and even if he didn't believe me, he's agreed to come at a later date."

Rachel waited for a response, a thank you, anything, but Finn simply stared into his cereal. She hated that; his eyes were cold and bare, and as more and more time passed, her hatred for Santana only intensified. Who was she to cause such misery to others? None of them deserved it, least of all Finn, and she made a secret vow to track the girl down and stop her herself.

"Brittany and Artie should finally be here tomorrow. Honestly, it's just like her to misplace their cat's travel documents at such short notice, but at least that's something." Finn managed a nod, which Rachel took as progress. She couldn't be mad at Finn for taking it so hard since it wasn't his fault; he just needed her help, and she was going to give him it. "I thought that I could maybe get an airbed for while they're here, and we can sleep in the living room while they take your bed, if that's okay?"

"I should just give in."

"Excuse me?"

Finn looked up wearily at her, and Rachel was shocked by how exhausted he looked. "If I pay her, she'll stop."

"No." Rachel slammed her fist on the table, only wincing slightly at the force. "I don't know how many times I have to say this, but we are _not_ giving in to her ridiculous demands. She's hurt everyone too much, and she'll have to pay for the damage she's done. Now hurry up and eat your cereal because we need to go shopping before our shifts start."

**Glee!**

"What time is it?"

"Go back to sleep Finn."

"Go back to what? I've been awake since we went to bed."

Rachel let out a small groan as she snuggled closer to him. She gently stroked his hair because she knew how sleepy it used to make him, once upon a time. "What are you thinking about?"

"How big of a jackass I am."

"W-what?"

"Brittany and Artie, really? They managed to make it work and stay together for all these years, and we couldn't? Because of me, because I hurt you and-"

"And I hurt you, and it's not your fault that you couldn't forgive me."

"That's a lie," he said in no more than a whisper. "I forgave you after Christmas break, but I pretended I was mad just to fuck with you."

Rachel, who was now fully awake, could feel her heart in her throat. "Don't do this Finn, don't lie-"

"I'm not lying! I'm a screw up, Rachel, I screw things up! I've always been a screw up, and it's happening all over again. People are unhappy, and I know _exactly_ how to make things better, but I'm holding out because I'm selfish."

"Stop it!" Rachel all but screamed. Even in the dark, she could see the colour leave Finn's face. "Stop making excuses! You didn't forgive me because I hurt you too much and you wanted me to pay, which is exactly what I did to you! I kissed Noah because I wanted you to feel my pain, and because I wanted you suffer, so don't think that I don't know how it feels. As for this, this business with Santana, this is not your fault, so stop feeling sorry for yourself!"

Finn used to think angry Rachel was hot, but this kind of Rachel scared the shit out of him; she always did know how to read his mind. "Then what the hell do we do Rach, huh? What do we do?"

"We fight!" she barked, sitting up to stare at him. "We're leaders, Finn, even now, and we fight Santana for trying to hurt us again. If you want to give up and give in then fine, go ahead." She pulled herself from his bed, her body instantly shivering though she stood her ground. "Just know that I won't be there when you need to bask in your weakness." She headed towards the door, but was, thankfully, stopped by a pair of warm, strong, slightly shaking hands.

"Where do you think you're going Sergeant Berry? We have a battle to win."

Their lips met, and Finn was able to get a few hours sleep, if only knowing that Rachel would always have his back.

**Glee!**

"Lord Tubbington doesn't like stairs so I have to carry him wherever I go, don't I little baby?"

Finn regretted his visit offer instantly, 'cause crap, why had Brittany brought a cat? He was allergic, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time until he couldn't stay in his own apartment.

"The cat, really?" he hissed to Artie as he helped him with his chair, and the bespectacled boy gave him an apologetic grimace.

"You learn to love it I guess."

Finn wasn't entirely convinced.

"Okay, so through here is where you'll be sleeping..." said Rachel cheerfully, undeterred by the mounds of bags that hung from Brittany's shoulders. She led them into the bedroom, and with four people, a wheelchair and a cat standing side by side, it was obvious just how tiny Finn's apartment was.

"Lord Tubbington's kitty mansion is bigger than this whole floor," Brittany stated, nose scrunched.

"Good for the cat," muttered Finn under his breath, and Rachel shot him a warning glare. "So uh, can I get you guys a drink? Tea, coffee, orange-"

"Do you have any vodka and banana milkshake?" asked Brittany hopefully.

Finn blanched but shrugged all the same. "I'll see what I can do. Rach'll show you to the living room."

He made his way into the kitchen and listened briefly to the sound of Rachel giving Artie and Brittany the grand tour of his shitty little apartment. He had no clue if Rachel was going to permanently live with him (it had sort of just, you know, _happened_), but he did know that he needed a bigger place because he wasn't a pathetic bachelor anymore. With a groan, he opened the fridge and hung his head against the cold, worn door. Ever since the Santana mess, it felt like he'd had a constant headache that wouldn't leave him alone, and as much as he liked Artittany (Brittany's creation, not his), it wasn't like he had time to celebrate them being his guests.

"You're stressed and unhappy."

Finn hit his head on the top of the fridge (like he needed it to hurt even more) and turned to Rachel, who was looking at him in _that_ way, like she was x-raying him without his consent. "Nah, I'm just tired."

"We can fix this."

"I know."

"I don't think you do."

Finn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm just tired of everything in general."

"I know, but Brittany's going to tell us what happened, and it should hopefully shed some light on how we can slay the dragon."

His lips quirked up in response to that, and for a second, yeah, he really did think they could do it, so long as he had Rachel.

"She's gonna be pissed, we only have milk and wine coolers."

**Glee!**

"And then we had to take _that_ kitty tuxedo back because purple isn't Tubby's colour, right baby?"

Artie nodded solemnly as Rachel and Finn both stifled a laugh, neither of them wanting to ask about the scars that resembled scratch marks on his arms.

"I'd love to own a cat, but Finn's allergic and he seems more like a dog person anyway."

He grinned at Rachel and squeezed her hand as Brittany pulled a face. "I love dogs."

"Dogs are too slobbery," the blonde moaned. Artie sipped at his milk before clearing his throat; he looked extremely uncomfortable, and Finn had the feeling that he was going to try and change the subject to Santana (just like he himself had tried at least five times in the past hour).

"So, Britt, remember why we came? Santana's been hurting people and we need to know why you stopped talking to her."

The smile on her lips and the light in her eyes disappeared instantly at Artie's question, and she clung to her cat like a life jacket (Lord Tubbington looked less than amused, and kept trying to wriggle away).

"How is she hurting people? Has she started using a gun again?"

Rachel choked on her iced tea and Finn did a double take, while Artie patted her hand. "Are you thinking of paintball, Britt?"

Brittany shook her head, looking just as confused as the rest of them. "What does paintball have to do with her killing someone?"

"Brittany!" squeaked Rachel hysterically. "Y-you can't be serious! Are you talking about a video game or something?"

"No, Santana came to me and told me that she'd killed a boy with a gun and that she was scared." She looked from Artie to Finn before shrugging and tickling her cat behind his ear while he purred loudly.

"When... when was this?" asked Artie, dumbfounded.

"Um... Just after we graduated, I don't really remember."

"She can't have been serious!" Rachel shook her head violently. "In our senior year, she told me that she had a tattoo of a-"

"Dolphin above her lady garden, and I can confirm that it's true."

Artie stared at his girlfriend, his eyes practically popping out of his head. "She told me that she had a maid who-"

"She slept with every Wednesday afternoon." Brittany kissed the top of Lord Tubbington's head. "True. I thought it was a Tuesday and I went to bring her some cookies, and the two of them were doing it on the couch."

Finn gulped loudly. "She told me she'd slept with Figgins."

Brittany scrunched up her nose and shrugged. "I'm not sure about that one, but probably true."

"Okay, we're getting off track. Brittany, what did she tell you about the boy she k-killed?" Rachel's stomach dropped at the very thought of it. She knew Santana was many things, but a _murderer_...?

"It was a long time ago and I don't remember much and she told me not to tell!"

Finn opened his mouth to protest until Artie stopped him. From one of their many bags he produced a brown envelope that made both Finn and Rachel wince.

"I have something to show you," Artie said quietly. He lifted the cat from her lap and removed the photo from the envelope, slowing handing it to her. "This came three days ago, but I didn't... I trust you enough to know it means nothing."

Brittany, Finn and Rachel looked down at the picture to see the blonde locking tongues with a black girl, who had her hand curled in Brittany's hair.

"Artie, where did you get this?"

"Santana sent it to him," said Finn quietly. He caught Brittany's gaze, and did his best to keep it simple since, judging by the tears welling up, the photo had upset her. "She's been sending all of my old friends pictures of different things, intending to hurt people."

Brittany said nothing, but looked back down at the photo, which didn't look very encouraging.  
"I can't believe she'd do that to us," she whispered, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. "This was taken at the local theatre company."

Rachel cocked her head in contusion, and Artie quickly filled them in, explaining that she'd joined a drama group so she could improve her memory by remembering lines.

"We were working in pairs and we had to practice stage kisses, but we ran out of boys and Fearne was the only person left." Brittany looked helplessly at Artie. "It lasted five seconds and then it was someone else's turn, and she was a horrible kisser and had bad breath. I'm so sorry Artie!"

"It's okay Britt, I knew it would be innocent." He wiped away her tears, and Finn felt bile rise in his throat at the thought of all the people Santana had screwed with. "But this is why you need to tell us what happened before she really hurts someone."

Shaking, Brittany hugged herself before looking to Finn. "Who else has she sent pictures to? Is everyone okay?"

"Practically everyone," he said quietly. "She wants me to give her a lot of money, and until I do, she's going to keep sending them out."

"But surely she doesn't have _that_ many, does she?" Artie said with a frown. "I don't understand where she got them from in the first place, but what if she's running out of photos?"

"I thought the same," added Rachel, who finished the rest of her drink before offering the three of them some of her homemade cookies (they all took one, including Lord Tubbington, who managed to snatch one from the plate when nobody was looking). "I wondered if she only had one photo for every person, but Quinn has received at least three of Noah and one of her mother, so for all we know, she could have hundreds."

The atmosphere was tense. Brittany was really their only hope, but it was obvious that they couldn't pressure her into revealing Santana's secret against her will.

"Did she send you any of Rachel, Finn?" the blonde whispered. Finn had never seen her so frightened, and by the way Artie reacted, neither had he.

"No, he hasn't, he-"

"Yeah."

Rachel's eyes widened at Finn's admittance because that was the first she'd heard of it. "What? When? Finn, why did you-"

"It wasn't anything that made you look bad," he clarified, his voice soft, "but it, well, it made me feel like an utter douchebag." He pulled the offending photo from his jeans pocket, and though it was creased in several places and covered in greasy fingerprints, the subject was easy enough to see.

Sitting on the bleachers was a younger Rachel Berry. She was wrapped up warmly and wearing the same outfit that she'd worn to go tree shopping with Finn in their junior year, and though it was in black and white, the utter devastation on her face was evident, and the tear stains on her cheeks seemed to stand out more than anything. They each took it in turns to look at the photo, and when Brittany ran a finger carefully over the picture, Finn sighed.

"Turn it over Britt."

She did as she was told, and scribbled in Santana's handwriting was a simple note; '_You killed her spirit and soul, Finn Hudson_'.

"I'll tell you what happened," announced Brittany. She managed a smile when Artie took her hand in his and squeezed his tight because she knew what he was going to say before he'd even said it.

"You don't have to do this."

"I know," she said softly, "but I want to. I didn't like it when Santana split Finn and Rachel up the first time, and I don't want her to do it again because they're soulmates, Artie."

Both Finn and Rachel blushed in unison, and they too held hands, united by the strange, endearing consequences.

"_Nobody's perfect San, and you're sometimes mean to people and you don't like horses, but you're my friend."_

_Brittany hated it when her best friend felt sorry for herself. She tried to be a good friend by telling her the truth, but Santana never seemed to listen._

"_You're not going to think I'm anything when I tell you what I've done," the Latina girl said with a laugh, but the laugh wasn't a very nice one, and it made Brittany's stomach twist. "I killed someone, Brittany."_

"_I don't understand."_

_Santana paced up and down in front of her as she pulled at her hair, and Brittany noticed, for the first time, that her clothes were speckled with blood stains._

"_I was desperate. I needed the money and I knew which account my dad kept his emergency funds in and I went to the bank to get it out without him knowing. It was late and I took a shortcut through an alley and this guy appeared from nowhere with a gun-" She took a deep breath to pace herself while Brittany shook her head over and over again. "I thought he was going to shoot me, and so I just, I just ran into him to wrestle the gun away and I held it in my hands and I-" Santana gazed at the blonde and her eyes filled with tears as her entire body shook. "I shot him three times. I started to run, and this other guy came up to me and he started laughing. He said that the man I'd k-killed had been carrying some money and he'd wanted to rob him, and he thanked me for doing his dirty work. I stood there and watched the creep steal from the dead guy, and then I ran, I ran, I-" Santana broke down, huge, desperate sobs wracking her body, and all Brittany could think about was the poor man that had lost his life._

"_Why didn't you just take the gun and run away?" Her voice was quiet and it cracked a few times, but Santana heard her all the same, though she didn't respond. "Santana; why didn't you just take the gun and run?"_

"_I don't know!"_

"_Why-"_

"_I don't fucking know!" She stood up, though only to bend down in front of Brittany like she was going to kiss her feet. "Please don't judge me, please, I need you to be my friend."_

"_You stole from your dad and shot a frightened man. I don't want to be your friend anymore." Without looking at her, Brittany got back into her bed in an attempt to stop herself from crying out for her parents. Her best friend was a killer; what was she supposed to do?_

_Wondering if she'd made the wrong choice, she sat up to look at Santana once more, but the girl had disappeared out of the window._

By the time Brittany had finished telling her story, Rachel was in tears, Finn was sure he was gonna hurl, and Artie simply looked horrified. No matter how harsh Santana had been in high school, none of them had expected _that_, and it was clear that Brittany felt the same.

"I can't believe it," Rachel hiccupped. "I just... That innocent man..."

"How is she not in jail?" snarled Artie. His raised voice woke Lord Tubbington, who gave a wail of distress and lumbered off into Finn's bedroom to try and get some rest.

"She left Lima after we graduated," said Finn weakly, "and she must have covered her tracks. Apart from the thief, no one would have known that it was her, and she must have taken the gun with her."

Despite the new information, it was a relief to know that Santana hadn't shot him in cold blood (though Rachel couldn't help shedding tears for the man who had been wrongfully killed); it lessened the chance that she was going to do something crazy.

"Does that help at all?" Brittany finally asked. She wanted to help Finn and Rachel _so much_, and she only wished that she could get in contact with Santana to ask her why she was being so mean.

"No," admitted Finn. He saw Brittany's face fall, but really, the revelation didn't seem to have any connections to the pictures. "I don't know what to do next, but if you don't mind, I need to get some fresh air." Finn waved Rachel off since he needed to be on his own, and with a quick whisper of "I won't be long, and I love you," he left the apartment, trying his best to put the pieces together.

God, Santana killing someone; it was really hard to believe (but he believed it, because he could imagine the scene perfectly in his head). The problem was, if she'd taken some money from her dad on that same night, why was she so desperate for more? Maybe she just wanted to live in luxury? He sighed inwardly as he walked slowly down the street; he was sure he was missing something important.

**Glee!**

'I won't be long' turned into five hours, and as the minutes ticked by with no sign of Finn, Rachel felt her anxiety rising with every second. Brittany and Artie had tried to keep her distracted with photos that they'd accumulated over the years, but Rachel's enthusiasm was forced and insincere.

To make matters worse, Finn wasn't answering his cell. She'd tried calling Kurt, who hadn't heard from Finn all day, and she'd tried calling Noah, who hadn't seen Finn since the night before. She tried calling Quinn and Mercedes, but they were just as clueless, and as more time passed, Rachel knew that something was seriously wrong.

She briefly wondered if he'd visited the bar on his travels, but it was the one day of the month when it was closed for one reason or another ("All the coolest places take a day off to recover, Rach"), and she doubted that he'd spend his free time at his work place.

At the same time that Artie was about to suggest they order takeout, Rachel's cell began to beep frantically, and her heart leapt into her throat.

"Please excuse me!" she squeaked before rushing into the bedroom, sitting beside Lord Tubbington as she answered the call. "Hello?"

"_Rachel-"_

"Finn, where have you been? I've been so worried and I thought that-"

"_I'm at the bar. You... You need to c-come over."_

The elation at hearing his voice disappeared in the way that he stumbled over his words. Rachel could tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong, and like she'd seen on trashy movies and soap operas, she wondered if he was being forced to speak to her.

She was being silly though, she knew she was being silly.

"Is someone telling you to say that, Finn? If they are, tell me where you are again."

"_I said I'm at the bar."_ Rachel almost dropped the phone as her blood ran cold. "_I have... a surprise for you, but y-you have to come alone, okay? The surprise is just... Fuck it, no, I'm not getting her involved, you can go fuck-" _

All she could hear was Finn yelling in distress, and then the line went dead.

"Is he okay? I bet he just lost his watch because I do that all the time and- Rachel, what happened?"

Rachel pushed past Brittany and skidded into the living room while she tried to locate her shoes. She was shaking from head to toe and she was trying desperately not to pass out because Finn was in danger, and she was the only one who could help him. "Artie," she panted, turning to the boy in the wheelchair, "you need to call Kurt and Noah and tell them that Finn's in trouble at the bar. You also need to call the police and tell them that he's being held hostage by someone. I have to go." She was about to rush out of the door when Brittany grabbed her by the wrist, and no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't get away. "Brittany, let go, I have to leave!"

"If Finn's in danger, you will be too if you go down there! You have to let the police handle it."

Rachel stared at her in shock, not just because she'd said something intelligent, but because she was _right_, and it would be completely irresponsible to head down there on her own. Besides, Finn had risked his safety to stop her from going to meet him, and it would be dangerous to track him down.

"I can't just sit here and wait!" she whimpered, and Brittany engulfed her in a hug. "If anything happens to him, I don't, I can't-"

"I'll come with you."

Rachel stiffened at Brittany's suggestion, and over the blonde's shoulder, she could see the fear in Artie's eyes.

"No you won't! Brittany, you said it yourself, we have to let the police-"

"If you were in danger, I'd be at the front of the rescue team." She broke away from the hug, and Rachel looked away to give them some privacy as Brittany perched herself in Artie's lap and stared at him like he was the most important person in the world. "I know you're frightened Artie, but Rachel is too, and I told you, I won't let Santana hurt them anymore." She placed a gentle, heartfelt kiss on his lips that mingled with the tears running from Artie's eyes, and before he could protest further, she jumped up and took Rachel's hand. "Call the police, and the other guys too; we'll be fine."

"I love you Brittany."

Brittany gave Artie her biggest smile. "I love you too. Look after Tubby for me."

With that, she pulled Rachel out of the door, leaving a heartbroken Artie and an overweight cat, who was none the wiser about the day's events.

**Glee!**

Finn closed his eyes as another punch knocked his face sideways, and he felt the unwelcome sensation of a dislodged tooth in the back of his mouth. He spat a pool of blood onto the floor with a hiss, and braced himself for his seventh punch (or was it eighth? His head was spinning like a bitch).

"That's enough," called a voice from the darkness, and the violence stopped, if only for a minute. It was nearly eleven o'clock, and even though it was almost pitch black inside and out, the only visible light inside the bar was a flickering candle that had been placed near the chair Finn was tied to. It was impossible to see who was calling the shots in the darkness behind him, but whoever the fucker was, it was a guy, as was the bastard who had beaten the crap out of him.

God, his head killed and his cheeks killed and his stomach killed the most; someone had swiftly kicked him as he'd been dragged into the bar, and he'd never stood a chance.

"You better hope she comes," the voice snarled, and Finn winced at his splitting headache. "And you better hope she doesn't call the cops, because that won't be fun for any of us."

"Are you an idiot? Of course she's called the police." Finn didn't recognise his own goddamn voice since his throat was thick with blood, and he was trying his best to be strong. He figured that if he let his fear show through, whoever was behind it all would take enjoyment in it, and he refused to let them have the satisfaction. Therefore, though his false bravado sounded weak and uncomfortable, it was helping him keep a straight head, so that was something.

"Oh well, a fire fight should be fun, especially if Rachel arrives in time."

Finn felt his stomach twist at the way the stranger said her name. It rolled off of his tongue like a delicacy, like something that should be revered, and even though that was the way Finn pronounced it every single time, it sounded sinister and twisted from the mouth of the man.

"If you touch one hair on her head-"

"You underestimate me, Finn. When she becomes my wife, there's going to be a lot of touching. Does it count if I touch the hair between her legs? Then again, she might be a fan of waxing, and that sounds enjoyable."

Finn let out a yell of fury that sounded strangled and weak, and when he heard the snap of the man's fingers, he knew what was coming before the first blow hit him. A fist collided with his nose, and with a sickening crack, the chair nearly flew over with the force. A single tear ran down Finn's cheek, because no matter what happened, he was _not_ going to cry, he _wasn't_.

"You should learn to control your anger, Mr Hudson," the stranger chastised. He snapped his fingers once more, and his hired grunt took a step back (though not before kicking Finn square between the legs, making him cry out in pain).

"W-what do you w-w-want?" he panted, trying desperately to stay conscious. His whole body throbbed, but despite that, he worried more for Rachel's safety.

He couldn't make up his mind about something. She knew that he was in danger, but would she come and find him? He hoped to God she'd stay away, but he knew that if the roles had been reversed, he would have told danger to fuck off while he made it his mission to save her.

For a second, a shiver of pride rushed through him, but it dispersed instantly when he thought of her being put in harm's way; he had to stop that from happening.

"I have m-money," he said, biting back a groan of pain "I'll... I'll give you money, and y-you can leave, I won't t-t-tell anyone."

"The offer is tempting," said the voice in a snide tone, "but everyone has money, and money is easy to obtain if you know how to obtain it. No, I want something much more precious, like a shooting _star_."

Finn threw up a mouthful of blood; he was after Rachel, his star, _his_ Rachel, and he was nearly certain that she was on her way, about to walk into the trap. He threw up a second time, and heard the stranger scoff and sigh.

"Man up, Finn! Have you never been hurt before? Stop being such a baby." The snap of the man's fingers echoed through the room, and Finn blacked out as soon as a foot collided with his stomach.

**Glee!**

"Is it much further?" shouted Brittany as she ran side by side with Rachel. She considered herself to be fit and healthy (all part of being a dancer), yet she was struggling to keep up with the little brunette's pace. If she hadn't been so terrified for Finn, she would have smiled at that, because Rachel was being powered by love, and that was just really nice.

"It's at the end of this street," Rachel panted. It was dark, and the streets were deserted, much to her dismay. She'd hoped that if someone, _anyone_ had been around, they could have helped them save Finn, since there had to be safety in numbers.

As it was, it was just Rachel and Brittany, two girls who had no idea what, or who, they were about to face.

Rachel's legs burnt with the effort she was forcing onto them, and though the pain and exhaustion urged her to stop and catch her breath, she managed to keep going for Finn's sake, her friend trailing behind. They were being so reckless and stupid, and it didn't make sense for Brittany to put herself in danger when the love of her life fretted for her safety. With that notion in mind, Rachel knew that she had to persuade Brittany to stay outside, if only to direct the police when they arrived.

She knew there was no way she was going to lose her. For that she was utterly grateful, because Brittany had shown really bravery and determination in choosing to accompany Rachel, but it wasn't right to make her go any further. She felt guilty for a second at what she was about to do, but it was overpowered by her need to protect her, so she didn't hesitate. "I'll go around the back, and you go via the front entrance." She stopped a few metres away from the bar to catch her breath, and Brittany did the same as she tried to regain control of her body.

"Where is it?" she panted.

Biting back her regret, Rachel pointed down the opposite street, where many bars stood, open for business. "It's the third one down." She pointed to another street that lay parallel to the one in view, and hoped that Brittany would buy it. "I'll run that way so I can get in through the back. I'll meet you in there. B-be careful."

Brittany nodded and leaned forward to wrap her in a quick hug. "You too Rachel. I know you guys will be okay." With that, the blonde sprinted down the street, passing Faithfully without a backward glance.

_I really hope so_, she thought silently to herself, and once Brittany was out of sight, she ran down the alley next to the bar, hoping that the back door was unlocked.

**Glee!**

Artie was on the verge of having a panic attack as he fumbled with the cell phone in his hands. Lord Tubbington kept mewing obnoxiously loud, which wasn't helping the situation, and as more time passed, Artie became more and more flustered. His phone was dead, and for the life of him, he couldn't locate the one in Finn's apartment. He tried to kick start the emergency battery power in his cell, but he was shaking so hard that his hands kept slipping (and it didn't help that his tears kept getting in the way).

He was pathetic! He'd been given one of the most important tasks and he couldn't even do that! He'd tried knocking on the doors of the other apartments on the same floor, but no one had answered, and the lift was out of order; there was no way he could get down the stairs.

Unashamedly sobbing, Artie began to root through his luggage, praying to a God he didn't believe in that Brittany had packed his phone charger.

**Glee!**

Finn woke with a growl of pain as some kind of liquid was poured onto his head. He shuddered and winced because judging by the smell, and the way his face burned with pain, it was alcohol.

"Wake up Sleeping Beauty." He blinked a few times in a pointless attempt to locate his tormenter, but the candle seemed to be growing weaker, and all he could see was the shadow of the flame projected onto the wall. "How can we have a little chat if you're asleep? You're not a very good host."

He had no idea how long he'd been out, but regardless of how much time had passed, Rachel wasn't there, and that was something; he just hoped that the police made it before she did.

A door creaked in the background, and he sucked in a breath, ignoring the pain that screamed in his chest.

"What was that?" snapped the stranger. "Someone's there, turn the lights on!"

_Please don't let it be Rachel please don't let it be Rachel God just please don't let it be her_

"It's her, it's Berry!"

Even though Finn had been kicked and punched within an inch of his life, nothing hurt as much as that announcement. He tried to pick himself up from the floor so he could look in her direction, but all of his energy had been depleted, and it took everything he had just to keep his eyes open.

"_Finn_!"

"R-Rach..." His tongue felt swollen and his lips were cracked and bleeding, and his eyelids felt heavy, really really heavy.

"Tie her up on the chair next to Hudson, then pick him back up, and hurry!"

Finn's eyes fluttered shut involuntarily, so he focused on listening to the proceedings. He could hear the contrast of Rachel's tiny, delicate steps against the thud thud thud of the guy who had kicked the crap out of him, and he could hear Rachel whimpering and sobbing. He really wished he could tell her that it was going to be okay, but he didn't want to lie to her, and his mouth was hurting too much to form words.

Then he felt himself being lifted back into his seat, and though he really wanted to sleep, he forced his eyes to open, and was met with the image of a terrified Rachel Berry. She looked unharmed, which was a relief, but she looked hurt in a different kind of way, only, his head spinning too much to understand why.

"Thank you for joining us Rachel."

Rachel knew she needed to look at the person who was doing this to them, but she couldn't draw her eyes away from Finn, who seemed to have fallen unconscious. For a split second, she feared the worst, but she could see the faint rising and falling of his chest, and she knew that he was strong enough to get through this.

She'd never seen something so awful in her entire life, and she barely recognised him beneath the bruises and cuts and his general swollen appearance. He was caked in his own blood and there were several open wounds on his face, but the most worrying thing was his eyes. Before he'd fallen asleep (she preferred to think that he was just tired, instead of the reality), Rachel had looked into his eyes, and all she had seen was pain, though not for himself. It didn't make any sense, and she knew she was the only one who'd be able to see it, but the pain in his amber eyes had been for her, and for what she was about to endure.

Rachel forced herself to look away from his broken body, and stared straight into the face of Jacob Ben Israel. She hadn't seen him since graduation when he'd tried to kiss her relentlessly after the ceremony, and she was surprised at how different he looked, yet exactly the same. His afro, which he'd been notorious for in school, had been trimmed considerably, and looked much more tamed and cared for. He sneered at her, and she noticed that the gap in his teeth had been rectified. His glasses were different and looked like they were in fashion, and his clothes were pressed and very formal, money screaming from every stitch.

Despite all of the changes, Rachel could see that he was still the same person. The way he leered over her and the way he twitched with nerves reminded her of his younger self, and with disgust, she glanced away when he looked at her breasts and licked his lips.

"Welcome to the party."

**Glee!**

Artie was about to throw himself down the stairs in the hope that it would gain someone's attention when Puck let himself into the apartment, followed closely by Quinn, Kurt and Mercedes.

"S'up Abrams! God, I haven't seen you in forever! I heard Hudson was having a reunion party and _shit_, why the fuck are you crying man?"

"No time to explain," he panted. "I need to borrow your cell."

"Why? What the-"

"Here, take mine," insisted Quinn. She passed Artie her phone and grabbed Puck's hand as the four of them watched him dial 911.

"I need to report a crime. I-I don't know, I think they need all of them."

Mercedes gulped as she looked to Kurt. "All of what?"

"The operator always asks what emergency service they need," whispered Kurt, his face white. "So Artie's asking for-"

"Yes, hi, there's some trouble at Faithfully bar. I-I don't know the street name b-but someone's being held hostage."

Kurt was sure that he would have hit the ground face first if it hadn't been for Mercedes, who grabbed him in a tight, desperate hug. They knew it was Finn before Artie gave the operator his name, since Rachel had been frantically trying to find him all night.

"Berry," croaked Puck, who had taken to stroking Quinn's back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "Where the fuck is Berry?"

"Her and Brittany went to find Finn."

"What the hell?"

"_No!_"

"What were they thinking?"

Puck rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and pushed against the front door. "We have to get down there."

No one argued, and no one complained as they lifted Artie down the stars of the building, only the cat staying behind to look after the apartment.

**Glee!**

There were many things Rachel regretted about her past experiences and choices, and as she sat helplessly while a stranger bound her in a heavy duty rope, it was her decision not to take self defence classes that troubled her the most. Her daddy had insisted relentlessly that she need to protect herself, but foolishly, she'd declined because she had Finn, and she knew he'd protect her (then, of course, only two weeks later they were no longer an item, and she couldn't face the connotations of attending classes after all).

However, there were many things she was thankful for too, and though ordinarily it wasn't applicable in the real world, she knew that it could buy her some time; her acting skills. Though she was terrified beyond measure, she was a professional, and whatever she needed to do, she could do.

"I've missed you," she said quietly to the man that leered over her. She overcame the sensation of utter disgust in her stomach because this was for Finn, and she had to do it for Finn.

"Don't try that with me," sniffed Jacob, though she could see in the faint light that he looked a little less sinister, maybe even hopeful. "I know that you're trying to play me, but it won't work."

"Do you?" Sucking in a breath, she tried her best not to glance over at Finn. "Because you should know, Jacob, that I've been miserable for all of these years. I t-thought it was because of Finn, but it wasn't... It was you." Thank God her boyfriend couldn't hear her.

She knew it was a long shot, and she knew it wasn't likely to work, but Jacob was clearly delusional, and if the whole thing had been a ploy to get her, then she was positive that this was what he wanted to hear.

"You're lying."

"I've learnt my lesson, and now I never lie." _I just act_, she added silently. "If you let Finn go, I'll-"

A flicker of emotion flashed over Jacob's face, and she knew instantly that she'd said the wrong thing. It was almost in slow motion, the way he stepped forward and slapped her across the cheek, and for a moment, the pain didn't register. Only when the thug, who seemed to be Jacob's sidekick, grabbed her by the hair and tugged her to the ground, did she feel the pain ripple through her, intensified by her fear, intensified by the image of Finn slumped in the chair, intensified by the worry that help was going to come too late.

"Jack, get some water to throw over Hudson." Jacob paused before a devilish grin appeared on his lips. "Actually, find the most expensive vodka you can, and we'll use that; it seems more poetic, don't you think?"

Jack snickered in a way that made Rachel bite back a groan of terror, and she cowered on the ground, forced to watch as the large, formidable man began to smash bottle after bottle behind the bar. Glass shards shattered against the floor, spirits of all different colours stained the walls, and the coffee machine gave an indignant creak before it was pulled from its position and thrown unceremoniously to the ground.

"Hurry up!" Jacob snapped. "We don't have a lot of time, and we can trash it later!"

The man nodded and grabbed a large bottle of vodka. He trudged towards Finn, grinning stupidly from ear to ear, and with a silent gasp, Rachel realised what they were doing.

She remembered clearly her first experience on her brand new pink bike at six years old, and she remembered clearly her first experience of falling off of her brand new pink bike at six years old. The gash on her knee had looked worse than it felt, but her daddy had insisted that they had to treat it properly, and he'd rushed her into the house and planted her on the kitchen counter while he searched for the first aid kit. She'd only cried a little, and though she didn't tell her daddy, she'd been _glad_ that she'd fallen off, because it meant she was allowed to wear a pretty pink band aid to match her bike. She waited while her daddy inspected various bottles of medicine, and she looked down curiously as he held a brown one in his hand while he shook a little.

He'd told her to be brave, like he always did, and he told her that it might sting, like he always did, but she was a brave little girl, and she knew that if she didn't cry, he'd give her a sugar cookie for being a superstar.

Only this time, it _had_ stung, really really stung, and her daddy had rocked her in his arms as he told her that the medicine was a special one for big girls only, and that the alcohol in it would make her leg better.

Snapped back to reality, Rachel knew what was going to happen before it did, and as the vodka splashed onto Finn's stationary body, he came to with a whimper while he shook violently, trying to endure the stinging. Tears ran down her face.

"I need you to be awake, Finn for my grand unveiling, so hurry and compose yourself." Jacob slapped Finn around the face, and Rachel let out a scream that she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

"Leave him alone!"

Jacob looked down at Rachel and glanced between her and Finn, and a small, calculating smile formed on his lips. "Pick her up and put her in Hudson's lap."

Jack looked confused, but not one to disobey orders, her roughly grabbed Rachel by the arms and shoved her against Finn. For a split second, she wondered if Jacob was having second thoughts, that he'd seen the error of his ways; unfortunately, he hadn't. As she was dropped on top of him, Finn let out a low groan of pain, because fucking hell, everywhere _hurt_. Rachel wasn't heavy, but when his entire body was throbbing, she was an unwelcome pressure on his bruises.

Still, though he had to bite his lip to stop himself from crying, and though his hands were tied to the chair, he leaned his head forward and pressed a brief, clammy kiss to Rachel's neck because they were going to get through this, no matter what. "I love you Rach," he whispered hoarsely, and she turned her face to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I love you too."

"Alright, that's enough, unless either of you want Jack to play with you a little more."

Reluctantly, the two of them focused their attention on Jacob. Like some kind of large cat, who seemed to prowl up and down in front of them, twitching occasionally as he glanced towards the door.

"What do you-"

"Ah ah ah, that's enough Miss Berry, I'm calling the shots around here, and you'll do as I say." His head snapped towards the back of the bar, but convinced he was hearing things, he faced Finn and Rachel again, sneering at them. "I used to watch movies and sympathise with the villains," he began, pacing up and down while his eyes darted from side to side. "I understood their motives and their frustrations because I, like them, had experienced some kind of torment. Like them, I'd been bullied for the most trivial of reasons, and I too felt the need to seek revenge on those that had made my life hell." He stopped, cocking his head as he seemed to look away in thought. "What I didn't understand was why the bad guy always felt the need to tell the hero everything before they tried to kill them. Why confess your crimes? It always backfired, and then the villain would lose the fight."

"Maybe it's because-"

"I said be quiet!" Jacob snapped, glaring at Rachel with nothing but hatred in his eyes. Though his appearance had been altered a little, it was his soul that had faced the biggest change of all, and Rachel wasn't so sure that he had one anymore. "I understand, now, why they do it. I know that the two of you won't be leaving here alive, and I want you to know the extent of my master plan. Otherwise, my work will go unappreciated, and I don't want that."

Finn felt like someone had punched him in the stomach for the fourth time that night. _You won't be leaving here alive_; like hell they weren't. Ignoring the constant burning that shimmered over his skin, he tried to free his hands; that's all he needed to stop this from happening.

As if on cue, Rachel leaned in a little closer to him. He could see the way she winced, worried she was causing him unnecessary pain, and for a brief second, he thought she was going to hug him and admit defeat. But no, she kept her eyes focused on Jacob while she inched her hands towards Finn's bound ones. He felt her begin to tug on the rope, and he wriggled against it to try and help her while they continued to listen to Jacob; he couldn't know or he'd probably finish them there and then.

"So, now's the time I tell you about my plan, and you'll be so impressed with the measures I've gone to to achieve my goals that you'll welcome the end, trust me." He pulled up a chair in front of them as if sitting down to talk about casual things over coffee, and began to wring his hands back and forth. "Firstly, wasn't it clever of me to use Santana to do my bidding?" Both Finn and Rachel's eyes widened in unison, though Rachel didn't stop trying to untie her boyfriend's hands.

"S-Santana? She was- The two of you-"

"Yes, Hudson, she was under my control the entire time." Jacob smirked at them both, and Rachel felt her stomach churn at the very sight. "It's amazing what witnessing a crime can do to your existence. I'd been walking home innocently when I saw Santana pull a gun on a stranger and shoot him down, and like any good reporter, I was carrying my flipcam, and managed to record it, gruesome details and all."

"You blackmailed her," Rachel said quietly.

Jacob nodded. "Sure, it took a bit of work tracking her down after the little incident, and then she nearly blew my head off when I told her I'd seen it all, but we soon came to an agreement, and things have been wonderful ever since." He leaned forward in his seat, and Finn moved back instinctively, as if worried that the guy was going to breathe fire on them. "Only, I have a little secret that I haven't shared with her; did you want to hear it?"

"You're gonna tell us anyway, so just get it over with," Finn snapped through sore, cracked lips, and Jacob gave him a sour glare, his eyes darkening behind his glasses.

"Santana didn't kill the man. She badly wounded him, yes, but someone must have called an ambulance, and with my legendary reporting skills, I managed to ascertain that the victim was stable when he arrived at the hospital."

"So you've been forcing her to do your dirty work all this time, because she feared she would spend her life in jail?" Though Rachel didn't want to talk to Jacob unless absolutely necessary, she knew she'd fallen into his trap; she was genuinely intrigued to hear how everything came together, since she was having a hard time piecing the story together.

Besides, she hoped that if she kept him talking, Jacob wouldn't notice that she'd almost undone the knots around Finn's arms (she felt her heart race when his fingers briefly squeezed hers to tell her everything would be okay).

"What happened to you, Jacob? When did you become so bitter and manipulative?"

"High school." He said the word like poison on his tongue while staring angrily at the floor. "High school is a piece of cake for some, or so they say. If you're smart, you'll do fine." He laughed completely without humour, and the noise gave Rachel goosebumps. "I was smart, but I was also an outcast, a nerd, a dork, a worthless piece of shit, take your pick. While people like Hudson could walk around school without fear of violence, I had to endure endless bullying." He sniffed, and pushed his glasses further onto his nose. "I was tormented constantly because of my hair, my teeth, my glasses, my _name_, and on graduation day, when I was finally ready to leave the hellhole of McKinley, three jocks kicked the crap out of me and left me in a dumpster, broken and bleeding."

Rachel couldn't help it; she gasped and shook her head, because no one deserved that kind of treatment.

"Who-"

"It doesn't matter. I managed to crawl out, dirty and alive, and I cleaned myself up before attending the graduation ceremony. No one understand my pain, but then I saw Rachel Berry, completely alone on one of the most important days of her life, and I thought that _she_ of all people would understand, would want to help."

_Rachel smiled for her dads as they took yet another photo of her trying to be happy and proud, but she couldn't keep her gaze away from Finn, who was being engulfed in hug after hug. Carole was openly crying as she smoothed down his shirt while taking pictures of her baby, and Burt was getting misty eyed over the sight of Finn and Kurt in their graduation gowns._

"_Rachel honey, look this way and smile," cooed her daddy, and Rachel tried desperately to ignore the entire Glee club bombarding Finn in hugs and tears and general shouts of encouragement. She caught his eye and gave him the briefest of smiles, and for a second, he looked like he wanted to come over to say something._

_He didn't though, and he simply returned her half smile before pulling his mom in for a hug; her daddy made sure to delete the photos of his daughter crying._

"_If you could excuse me, I'm just going to get some water." She hurried away from her parents before they could protest, and without looking where she was going, Rachel ran straight into Jacob Ben Israel, who was watching her with an intense stare that made her feel uncomfortable._

"_I was looking for you Rachel. This could be our last chance for the two of us to become an item, so I thought I should declare my love for you while I can."_

"_I'm sorry Jacob but I'm not interested in you in that way, and I really have to go."_

"_But I need your help with-"_

"_I have to go."_

_She disappeared to find a bathroom so she could reapply her mascara, oblivious to Jacob's broken heart._

"I didn't... I d-didn't know you needed help, I w-was upset, and I-"

"Save it," Jacob said sharply. "It was at that moment that I realised that no one would ever care for me, so I set out on my own to seek revenge on those that had harmed me. And then, of course, I saw Santana casually shooting a man in an alley, and it continued from there." He stood up from his chair and rubbed a hand down his arm as he let out a yawn. "There's not much else to tell, and then it'll be time for the two of you to pay for the humiliation you put me through."

"This was all about money?" Finn croaked, wincing at the pain in his throat. "All the s-stuff with the p-pictures?"

"No." Jacob stood up again and began to pace up and down, like there was some great weight on his shoulders. "I wanted you to pay, Finn, not just with money but with dignity. You took Rachel from me time and time again, and then you left her, broken hearted."

"I was never yours in the first place!" Rachel spat, her hands squeezing Finn's. "I was the one to blame for hurting Finn, not the other way round, and you had no _business_ trying to ruin his life!"

"He ruined mine!" Jacob shrieked, and Rachel had never heard him so angry before. "Him and the rest of the football players made my life _hell_, and they locked me in someone's cellar for _three days!_"

"That wasn't me," Finn said weakly, spitting out an alarming amount of blood onto the floor. He could barely focus on the man in front of him since his eyes were stinging and he was consistently fighting the urge to pass out. "Yeah, I made mistakes in the past, but I didn't do that, not to you, not to anyone. It was me that-" He slumped forward and rested his face against Rachel's shoulder; it felt nice not to hold himself up anymore. "Rach, my head hurts," he slurred, and he could feel her tears without needing to open his eyes.

"It doesn't matter either way," said Jacob quickly. "I have my money, I've sent out all of the photos I needed to, and Santana's waiting outside; I think I'll have her finish you off."

He disappeared into the back of the bar, leaving Jack to watch over them, then stumbled slightly as his fear caught up with him.

He was sure, he was _sure_ Hudson had been there when arms had been grabbing and hitting him, and he was _sure_ he'd seen Finn's face as they'd locked him in the darkened room.

_No_.

He remembered seeing his face alright, as one of the boys who had pulled him out of that place, who had giving him something to drink, who had taken him to the hospital.

He threw up violently, clutching the wall for support as memory after memory flooded through his head. He couldn't be wrong! His grand scheme, to ruin Finn's life, was because he'd been there to ruin Jacob's! He'd remember if he'd been there to _save _him!

"_Dude, be quiet, I think I can hear him."_

"_H-help, somebody!"_

"_Fuck, Finn, what the hell where they thinking? This shit is out of order."_

"_I dunno, but we need to get him out. Come on! Jacob, can you hear us? It's Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman, are you there?"_

"_Let's just leave him, it's just Jewfro-"_

"_No. Jacob, can you hear us?"_

Jacob stared down at his hands, and he was sure he could feel the invisible blood that coated his fingers; what the fuck had he done?

**Glee!**

Santana shakily lit her fourth cigarette in ten minutes. She was completely on edge, and whatever Jacob was doing in there, she knew that he was up to no good. What the hell was he doing in Hudson's bar? She was pretty sure he wasn't robbing the place, but she'd learnt long ago that there was no point trying to understand the crazy schemes he came up with.

"Damn it," she snapped as she fumbled with the lighter in her hand. "Light you fucking- That's better." She drew in a large breath, her eyes flickering at the sensation of nicotine infecting her lungs, and she blew it out again, watching the tiny sparks dance in the cold night air.

She tried to forget that she had a gun tucked inside the rim of her jeans, and tried to forget the way the weapon had felt in her hand, her finger pulling sharply on the trigger.

Jacob had told her to use it if anyone tried to go inside the bar, and though she doubted anyone would bother, her eyes kept flickering to the uncomfortable bulge in her pants, the outline of the gun more than visible in the moonlight.

"We'll try the back exit."

Santana stiffened, dropping the cigarette to the floor. She could hear voices getting gradually closer, and fuck, who the hell was sniffing around? She pulled the gun out of her jeans and held onto it for dear life, hoping she wouldn't need to use it, wouldn't have to use it.

"We should wait for the police Puck, we don't know what's happening."

"I'm not letting Finn fucking die because I was too chicken to get him! You need to stay outside though."

Santana cursed under her breath in Spanish; she could clearly hear Puckerman and Fabray, and by the sound of things, they weren't alone.

She couldn't shoot them.

She had to though.

But she _wouldn't_.

The high metal fence that cordoned off the bar's backyard suddenly shook, and the gate opened with a forceful creak, to which five figures appeared in the dimly lit space.

"We can't just walk in there Puckerman, they might be armed!" whispered Kurt, whose voice cracked repeatedly.

"Don't worry about it, I'll go in on my own."

"Are you crazy?" snapped Artie. "I'm coming with you."

"Actually," announced Santana as she stepped out of the shadows, gun raised, "none of you are going inside." She flashed them the briefest of smiles. "Sorry."

"Santana." Mercedes spoke her name as a statement, rather than a question, and the Latina cocked her head with interest.

"Why hello there Wheezy, what a pleasant surprise." She twisted her lips into some semblance of a grin, though her resolve didn't waver, and the gun remained fixed on Puck (if needed, she could easily aim for any of them). "Hummel, Wheels, it's good to see you too."

"Where are Finn and Rachel?" At the fear in Quinn's voice, Puck took her hand and squeezed it gently in an attempt to reassure her, though it did little to quell her nerves. "What have you done with them?"

The smile of Santana's face disappeared, replaced by a frown of confusion. "I don't- They're not here."

"You don't know 'cause you're not in charge." Puck snorted, shaking his head. "I _knew_ you didn't have the brains to be behind this shit. You're just the silly little bitch who does the dirty work, aren't you?"

"What are you doing? Don't provoke her!" hissed Kurt. He'd taken Santana to be many things, but he stared at the gun in disbelief; he'd never seen one in real life before, and it made him feel sick just looking at it.

"What? I'm just keeping it real," Puck deadpanned. "What's the deal, Lopez? Does your boss pay you a nice sum? Does he throw in a free fuck?"

"Shut it Puckerman," she yelled, the gun shaking a little in her hands. "You don't know _anything_, so shut the hell up!"

"I do though." Santana's eyes flickered towards Artie, who wheeled himself forward so they were face to face. "Brittany told me everything. She's in there with Rachel, trying to stop Finn from being hurt, and no matter what you did in the past, I know that she still cares about you." He fought back a gulp as Santana redirected the gun to face him. "You're still her best friend."

"I can't let you in there," she barked, though insecurity had cracked her confidence a little. It had been hard enough seeing Puck and Quinn at the bar, but now that Kurt, Mercedes and Artie were in the mix, her decisions were making less and less sense.

And Brittany... She couldn't believe Brittany was in the building, metres away from her, and her heart ached at the realisation that no, they weren't friends anymore, because the blonde had turned her back on Santana when she'd needed it the most.

With that in mind, she pressed a finger to the trigger, trying to ignore the way that Artie recoiled, the way Mercedes cried out, the way Kurt covered his face, the way Quinn screeched in protest, the way Puck just _stared_, as if he'd always known she was a screw up.

"Let us in," he said hoarsely, and though he was acting cocky and pissy and exactly like himself, Santana could hear the rawness and fear in his voice.

"You actually give a crap about Hudson and Berry?" She flicked the gun towards Puck's head, noting the way Quinn's eyes widened, a silent scream on her lips.

"Course I do," he replied gruffly. "Finn's practically my brother, and he's my best friend, and Rachel might be a pain in the ass, but she's still my pain in the ass."

He took a cautious step towards her, and she immediately reached for the trigger.

"Don't mess with me Puckerman, I don't want to shoot you."

"I know you don't," he said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender, "and I know you're not as fucked up as you think you are, 'cause you can stop this." He nodded towards his friends behind him, and Santana's confidence wavered again. "We used to be your teammates, remember? We don't wanna cause you any trouble; we just wanna save Finn and Rachel."

"But why?" The gun began to shake as she held her breath, trying to compose herself but failing with every second that passed. She couldn't deal with this shit, with the talking and the looks of horror and pain. She couldn't deal with the way Puck looked _understanding_; as if he could ever understand what she'd been through, what she'd done and seen and regretted every day! "You hated Berry, you all did, just like me, so why does she get to win you all back?"

"Because she's our friend, San," answered a voice behind Mercedes, and Santana felt like her heart had been wrenched out of her chest. "Friends forgive each other, even if it takes a long time."

"Brittany!" Artie wheeled towards her, temporally forgetting the danger in front of him, and pulled Brittany into his lap so that he could cover her in kisses. "I'm so glad you're safe," he choked out, and Brittany wiped away the tears that steamed up his glasses. "Where are Rachel and Finn?"

"I don't know," she said softly, and Artie stiffened in his seat. "Rachel lied to me, Artie, she sent me the wrong way so I wouldn't help her. I'm so stupid, I can't believe that I let her get away!"

"You're not stupid," he insisted, taking her hand and holding it to his heart. "She just didn't want you to get hurt."

"We can all save her now though." Brittany stood up, looking warmly at Santana as she took Puck's hand, along with Kurt's. "You're coming, right San?"

"No," she said flatly, aiming he gun at her former best friend. She hoped, for a mad second, to see fear in her eyes, but she looked confused, as if they were playing a game and she couldn't remember the rules. "And you're not going in there, unless you want me to shoot you."

Brittany steeled herself and tugged Puck and Kurt forward. "We have to save them!"

"Move again and I'll shoot, I'll fucking shoot!"

"No you won't San, you're not a bad person."

Brittany took another step towards the door, and as the night echoed with the sound of a bullet rushing through the air, she looked down at her stomach, where a tiny hole had begun to gush with blood. She dabbed numbly at the wound, unable to hear Quinn's screams, Puck's yells, Artie's tears.

Brittany looked at Santana, and simply shook her head once. "I don't understand."

And then she fell.

**Glee!**

"Finn baby, please, wake up." Rachel gently shook Finn's shoulder, and he murmured something under his breath, though his eyes remained closed. Blood seemed to be dripping from him somewhere, and the more time that passed, the more desperate Rachel became. "Finn, _please_, you're going to be okay, you-"

"Can it lady," said the gruff voice of Jacob's henchman, and Rachel turned her attention to him, glaring as her body shook.

"Can't you see he's dying? I need to get him to the hospital! Please, just let us go, just let us-"

Whoever the man was, he had an extremely powerful slap, and Rachel's head snapped backwards as her eyes overflowed with tears.

"Don't you _dare_ touch my girl, you hear me?" Finn managed to lift up his head, which was pounding pounding pounding with pain and confusion and fucking hatred for Jacob, and as much as he needed to sleep or die or something, there was no way some creep was gonna hurt Rachel and get away with it.

It didn't help that the bastard had the balls to laugh in his face as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket. "Or what, you gonna spit some blood at me and throw a hissy fit?" He snorted to himself and shook his head. "Waste of space, the pair of you."

Finn was about to scream a few profanities when Jacob stumbled in, no longer looking confident and in control. His face was devoid of any colour, sweat seemed to pour down his face, and he looked _terrified_.

"Did you hear that?" he asked in a panic, and Jack shrugged his shoulders dumbly. "A gunshot, Santana's just fired at someone! We have to get out of here."

"What about Hudson? I thought you wanted-"

"I made a mistake," Jacob shouted in a blur. "Leave them, we need to go before the police arrive!"

Though it had been a few years since she'd seen it, Rachel remembered spending the evening at Finn's house while they watched a movie called Zoolander. She hadn't had the pleasure (or displeasure, she couldn't make up her mind) of watching many Ben Stiller movies, and Finn had been more than eager to catch her up.

They'd settled on the couch together, a large bowl of popcorn between them, and when Finn let out huge belly laughs, he made her laugh just listening to him. She hadn't been particularly fussed on the movie herself, but it was nice that he'd been enjoying himself all the same.

One scene in particular had stuck in her mind, and she remembered rolling her eyes incredulously at what she was seeing; men spraying each other in gas before one of them lit a cigarette. She remembered thinking that honestly, no one was _that_ stupid, but as she finally managed to free Finn's hands, wondering what the mistake could possibly be, and as he managed to stumble upright, holding her protectively in his arms, ready to fight them if he had to, they watched in slow motion as Jacob's sidekick nodded in a daze, and dropped a lit match to the alcohol soaked floor.

Everything went up in flames.

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the delay, and oops, yeah, this is a bit of a cliffhanger but it's over 12000 words long and I didn't want to split it up even further. Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed so far, and to those who have added this story to their favourites; it means the world to me!

Reviews would be appreciated! :)


	11. Chapter 11

**For some reason, I haven't been able to respond to some of the reviews on the last chapter, but that doesn't mean I'm not grateful for them, so thank you to everyone who left me one ^^**

_Babe hey I didn't know you smoked I guess we never had that discussion won't it ruin your voice you can get diseases from cigarettes just put it out while we're sleeping please babe put it out I can't breathe Rachel I can't breathe the smoke Rachel the smoke the smoke the smoke the smoke__ my head hurts_

"Finn!"

_Put it out my head hurts and you shouldn't smoke in here don't you see the signs no smoking babe just put it out_

"Finn!"

_Fire_

"Finn, please, we need to go, come on!"

_Fire?_

Finn's eyes open. He can barely see through the thick, black smoke and it's hot, so insanely hot. He chokes and he winces and fuck, everything hurts, every goddamn thing hurts.

"Oh thank God," he hears someone whimper, and he can't remember where he is. What's happening? Who is that?

She leans over him and he can see the halo of light around her head and oh, she's his guardian angel, she's going to save him.

"Come on Finn, we need to get out."

She's going to save him.

"Okay."

His eyes flutter closed and he can hear his angel crying, and she shouldn't be crying unless she knows that they're doomed.

"I love you Finn," she says in a sob, and all he can do is reach for her hand.

"I love you too Rachel."

Maybe she's not here to save him after all.

**Glee!**

Santana stared down at Brittany, who lay limp in Puck's arms, her face white and her eyes wide. She dropped the gun without hesitation, because it wasn't true, she hadn't just shot her best friend, her Brittany...

"Fuck, someone call an ambulance!"

"Artie's already called one for Finn and Rachel."

"Is she breathing?"

"What do we do?"

"Brittany, I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Britt, hold on, oh God, I love you, just hold on."

"Sssh, there there."

Puck gently stroked Brittany's hair as she shivered and convulsed in his arms. He had no fucking clue what he was supposed to do to help her, and he was torn between rocking her back and forth, kicking the crap out of Lopez, and going inside the bar to find Rachel and Finn.

"Quinn, can you hold her?" he said in a half choked whisper, and Quinn quickly held Brittany while Puck pulled himself up and glared at Santana. He's never wanted to hit a girl before, but what the fuck was she doing?

"I'm going to get my friends," he barked, his jaw clenched, "and if you want to shoot me too then cool, go for it, see if I give a shit."

He reached for the door at the same time that smoke began to billow out from underneath it. Puck looked to Artie, as if expecting him to know what was happening, and an explosion inside made them all jump and scream out and cry and fuck fuck fuck fuck what the fuck what the fuck-

"I'm going in," Puck announced, and before Kurt could shout at him for being a reckless idiot, he was inside the bar, his eyes instantly watering with the heat and the smoke. Without a second thought, he pulled off his shirt and pressed it to his face to try and stop himself from inhaling too much smoke; he needed to get out of there alive, and he was determined to bring Finn and Rachel with him.

He stumbled around in the darkness. The only light was the constant lapping of the flames that were burning in the main area of the bar, and with a painful gulp, he knew where to find his friends; whoever had been holding them hostage would want them to die in the heat. He ran forward, coughing at the intensity of the smoke, glancing around for Finn and Rachel, eyes watering, heat pounding, throat dry, fuck fuck fuck where the fuck are they what if they're dead what if-

"R-Rachel!" He could see her, crouching over something big on the floor, the flames trapping her with whatever it was, and with a sickening thud in his heart that felt like someone had just ripped it clean from his chest, Puck realised that it was a motionless Finn.

He didn't have time to think. He had no clue where the fire service was, or if they were coming at all, but he knew he couldn't do _nothing_. He dropped his shirt and ran forward while trying to dodge the flames (and when several licked at his arms, he barely felt the pain compared to his worry for his best friend).

"Rachel!"

The small brunette, who looked even smaller in the shadow of the unrelenting fire, turned to Puck with tired eyes, and he could see the countless tear marks down her cheeks.

"He's barely breathing," she called over the crackling and hissing, and Puck was sure he'd never had better news; he was still alive, Finn was still alive.

"I'll carry him," he croaked, and though he wasn't sure if he could take all of Hudson's weight, he had to.

"I'll help."

"No," Puck snapped, bending down to take Finn's arms. "Get the fuck out while you can, this whole place is burning up." He knew she could be a stubborn little cow when she wanted to be, and by the way that she clung tightly to Finn's hand, Puck felt anger well up inside him. Now wasn't the time for all their soulmate shit because fuck, it was getting hotter, and the flames were burning up everything, and he could barely see through the smoke. "Get out!" he screamed in Rachel's direction, but she was screaming too, and he looked down at Finn to see that his pants were on fire, and then, in one burst, everything was. Fire engulfed every part of Finn's body, and Rachel stumbled backwards in shock and terror and grief, and Puck had to resist the urge to hurl. Stop, drop and roll wasn't gonna do a blind bit of difference, not when the floor was alive with heat, and not out of choice, he was forced to drop Finn as the flames burnt his hands.

He had to get him away, away from the worst of it, and as he cursed and bit his tongue and let a few tears slip down his face, Puck dragged Finn along the floor by the collar of his shirt, trying not to stare at the way the fire burnt his body. He needed to put it out, he needed to, but it was pointless until they were safe.

"Berry!" Fucking hell, where had she gone? He hoped she'd escaped out the back to safety, but as the smoke seemed to get even thicker (how was that possible?), he managed to see her following him; he didn't have time to roll his eyes.

He coughed violently and nearly dropped Finn in the process (his lungs were doing overtime and he felt like he was gonna pass out), but with some kind of strength that he didn't know he possessed, Puck managed to pull his best friend into the staff bathroom, where the fire hadn't had time to reach. Immediately, he ran the taps and started splashing small amounts of water onto the flames, and when Rachel stumbled in behind them, she did the same, desperately trying to put him out.

Finn was still unconscious, and Puck had no clue if that was a good thing. It meant that he wouldn't be able to feel pain and shit, but God, he was gonna be covered in burns and he was still on fucking fire, and how was he not feeling that?

"This isn't working," he growled, and while Rachel continued to pour handfuls of water onto the alcohol-fuelled flames, Puck knelt down beside him and ripped off the charred remains of Finn's clothes. He heard Rachel gasp, and for a second, he was close to snapping at her for being turned on by her naked boyfriend. When he fully registered what he was seeing though, he choked back a sob or cry of anger or _something_, because Finn's skin was red raw and oozing with blood and God knows what, his chest completely ravaged.

Puck didn't dwell, because as badly burnt as he was, he could see that he was breathing, and that was all that mattered, it had to be. "Pull his pants off," he barked, and Rachel didn't hesitate to tug off his jeans, which were red hot and melting. He heard her crying, and he knew how she was feeling because he was so close to losing it. He loved Finn like a brother, and fuck, he was gonna kill whoever was responsible for hurting him.

"N-Noah, they're stuck," she whimpered, and he looked down at Finn's legs, where some of the material of the jeans had melted onto his skin.

"Don't pull them, you'll make it worse, but, fuck, where the hell is the ambulance and where are the fire fighters?"

"I don't know," she sobbed. She rocked herself backwards and forwards, unable to do anything to help her boyfriend. The fire was out, that was something, but already, the smoke from the bar had begun to seep under the bathroom door, and the tiny window was doing little to alleviate the choking sensation that was engulfing them both. "I'm frightened," she whispered, and Puck felt his eyes sting (with smoke or tears he couldn't be sure).

"So am I," he said just as quietly, and he held out his hand, which she gratefully took. She squeezed his fingers, and he squeezed them back, and he knew, just like she did, that it was an unspoken goodbye, just in case they didn't make it out alive.

"Who did this?" Puck finally said, letting go of her hand as he looked down at Finn.

"Jacob Ben Israel," she said between whimpers, and he felt his jaw clench with pure hatred. "W-well, it was his henchman, actually. H-he was going to let us go, I'm not sure what happened, but then the man he was with dropped a lit match and oh, F-Finn was soaked in alcohol and everything just set alight and they disappeared but F-F-Finn-" She wrapped her arms around herself as she cried, and Puck just stared at Finn, his eyes carefully trained on his chest, which barely moved, his breathing laboured.

"There was a g-gun shot..."

Puck closed his eyes for a second; in the moment, he'd forgotten about Brittany. "Lopez shot... she shot Brittany."

He hated it when girls cried, and the news only made Rachel sob harder, but he couldn't do anything to help. It wasn't just because it was Berry, and because, deep down, he was still pretty sore with her. It was just... it was everything, and there was no way he could comfort her when he was trying to hold himself together just as much.

"Will you stop it? For fuck's sake." He stood up and began to pace up and down. He could see the way Rachel looked at him out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't deal with her shit, not now.

"Are you regretting helping us?" she asked incredulously, and he felt a flash of rage burn through his body.

"What? Fuck no, what the hell are you on?"

"Then why are you being so h-hostile?"

"Because I'm scared!" he yelled, a few tears leaking from his eyes. "I don't give a shit about myself, but what if- what if Finn doesn't, what if he's-"

Two tiny arms engulfed him, and out of nowhere, he cried like a girl as Rachel held him and ran her hands up and down his back.

"He's a fighter," she said confidently, and her newfound certainty helped ease the weight in his stomach. "He's going to be okay."

"Sorry for yelling, I don't, it's just-"

"I know," she whispered softly. "He'll be okay, Noah."

Even though more smoke began to billow into the room, caught up in the moment, Puck actually believed her.

**Glee!**

"It hurts," Brittany moaned weakly while Quinn played with her hair, shaking violently as silent tears ran down her cheeks.

"I know," she replied as she rocked her gently, "I know, but the ambulance will be here soon, and EMTs will help make the pain go away." She hiccupped, stroking Brittany's cheek, and looked up at Artie, who was white with shock, unable to say a word.

No one acknowledged Santana, who was on the floor, whispering something to herself in Spanish. Kurt wondered briefly why she didn't just run before the police came, but as the welcome sound of sirens filled the air, he forgot all about the Latina girl as he hurried onto the main street, tugging Mercedes with him. Police cars screeched to a halt, followed by two ambulances and a multitude of fire trucks, and soon, the area was filled with people, each trying to assess how to handle the situation.

"E-excuse me!" yelled Kurt as he approached one of the many EMTs. "My friend, she's been shot, she's in the yard behind the bar."

"Okay son, we'll get her." Two men in uniform, holding a stretcher between them, disappeared down the alley. Mercedes let out a deep sigh, glad that Brittany was going to get some kind of medical attention.

"Sir, can you tell us what's going on? Do you know if anyone is inside the bar?" Kurt turned to one of many police officers, and though he was shaking from head to toe, he readied himself to relay as much information as he could.

"Yes. There are at least three people in there, two men and a girl, and they've been in there a while."

The man nodded. "We'll let the fire fighters deal with everything first, and then we'll try and find them."

And then there was a second explosion.

**Glee!**

Rachel shrieked and immediately reached for Finn's hand as the walls of the bathroom shook, and the sound of roaring flames became ever more prominent.

"Can we climb out of the window?"

Puck shook his head. "No way, and even you aren't that small."

She placed multiple kisses to Finn's fingers as Puck once again resumed the task of pacing up and down, and neither said another word. What else was there to say? They had no means of escape apart from the way they'd come in, and if the earlier fire was anything to go by, there would be no way to avoid getting severely burned; they wouldn't be able to make it, not with Finn unconscious and in such bad condition.

As Rachel softly stroked the right side of his face (the left side was completely covered in burns), she heard something that gave her goosebumps, and made Puck stand still to listen.

"_Hello, can you hear me? Anyone? I'm a fire fighter, and I can get you out, but I don't know where you are."_

Rachel looked to Puck, and he nodded, because someone had to go out and show them the way if they had any kind of chance of surviving.

"We'll both go," he said curtly, and Rachel's eyes widened.

"I'm not leaving him."

"We'll tell them where to find him,"

"I'm _not_ leaving him."

Puck snarled and threw his hands in the air. "Just because you're fucking him, you think you care about him more than any of us? I'm not making you do this because I'm selfish; I'm making you do this so that when Finn wakes up in the hospital, you'll be by his side inside of dead." Rachel flinched at the bluntness of his words, and gulped, her throat uncomfortably dry. "I ain't taking no for an answer, so you can either come willingly, or I'm gonna carry you out."

"_Hello? Is anyone there?"_

Rachel let out a shudder of breath as she leaned down and brushed her lips briefly over Finn's. "I promise this isn't goodbye," she said, tears pooling in her eyes, and before she had second thoughts, she grabbed Puck's hand and opened the door, welcomed by an intense wave of heat that made her cry out.

"Over here!" he yelled, though his voice was little more than a whisper.

"Come on!" she squeaked, and though the flames were big, and though the bar looked like it was going to cave in at any moment, she pulled him towards the voice of the fire fighter. Her eyes were stinging and her lungs were burning, and with every step she took, she felt a hollowness in her heart for leaving Finn on his own, but they had, they _had_ to.

"Here!" she shouted, and in an instant, they were surrounded by people who were ushering them out and handing them oxygen masks and wrapping them in blankets, despite how hot it was. Rachel could see Kurt standing anxiously beside a police car with Mercedes, and when they caught sight of her, they burst into tears simultaneously, their cries of happiness more pronounced when Puck skulked behind her, his cheeks red to match his eyes.

"Where is the other man?"

Rachel quickly explained to a fire fighter where they'd left Finn, and as much as she wanted to follow them inside, she knew her role was over; she just had to wait for them to do their job to save him.

"I need to go check on Britt," announced Puck before he hurried away, and Rachel watched, choked up, as he ran to the ambulance where she was being lifted inside. His arms found Quinn's, who was standing beside Kurt, and Mercedes wrapped Artie in a hug, and just like most of her high school experience, Rachel found herself on the edge of nothing, watching as the people she once knew continued their lives without her.

"Rachel, are you okay?"

She was knocked out of her thoughts by Kurt, who placed a tentative hand on her arm.

"I'm, no, not really," she laughed, though it was a desperate, humourless laugh that only reminded her that Finn was still in danger.

"Is Finn going to be okay?"

She could see fear in his eyes that she knew was reflected back in her own, so without a moment's hesitation, she pulled him towards her for a desperate hug, which he succumbed to without any resistance. "I don't know," she breathed, pressing her face to his shoulder, "but he has to be."

**Glee!**

_You're still smoking Rach I thought I asked you to put that out it hurts my throat and it's really hard to breathe can't you open a window or something fuck wow everything hurts is that normal is it normal to be in a lot of pain why can't I move Rachel please you gotta help me it hurts it hurts_

Finn opens his eyes and his whole world falls apart. He screams at the top of his lungs, even though his lungs are choked and useless and burning, and everything is burning, everything. He can't sit up, but he looks at his body, and he cries like a baby because his skin is on fire and he's alone and he's never been in so much pain before. There's smoke in the air and he's drifting in and out of consciousness and before he passes out, he thinks of Rachel, and hopes that she's okay.

**Glee!**

Outside, time seemed to come to a standstill. Ten minutes ago, Rachel had stood with Puck and the others and watched as multiple fire fighters attempted to control the flames that were wreaking havoc on the bar, but they hadn't returned since, and Finn was still in there, trapped in the building.

Quinn tried to keep some semblance of a conversation going, but no one was listening, and she soon trailed off awkwardly, tearing up now and again.

No one batted an eyelid as Santana was led into the back of a police car, handcuffs around her wrists. Their only concerns were for Brittany and Finn. The blonde girl had been taken to the hospital (Artie had offered Rachel a few kind words before he'd accompanied his girlfriend in the ambulance), and now they simply had to wait, every second ticking by without any sign of Finn.

"He's gonna be okay," Puck said, out of the blue. Rachel felt a hand tighten around her elbow, and she wanted desperately to believe him. "He's a tough guy, and I know for a fact that now he's got you back, he's not gonna give up so easily."

Rachel laughed, which quickly turned into terrified sobs, and Kurt gently stroked her hair while she cried. Jacob's motivations for everything seemed a little hazy to her, even now when she had time to take in what he'd said. He'd made a mistake? She had no idea what he was referring to, but if Finn had been hurt and maybe even- She cringed away at the thought; he was going to make it, he wasn't going to d-

If Finn had been hurt because Jacob had made a mistake, she was going to kill the creep herself.

"Coming through, we have a body!"

Rachel looked from Puck to Kurt with wide eyes, her expression reflected on their faces. "W-what does that mean? Why are they calling him a body? Is he-"

Two fire fighters appeared from out of the smoke, carrying a stretcher as they hurried out of the building, a body covered over by a sheet between them.

"No," Rachel gasped, wrapping a hand around her throat. "No, it c-can't be, Finn's not _dead_, he isn't, he-"

And then, like some damsel in distress in a badly scripted movie, Rachel Berry fainted, dropping to the ground as the victim was declared dead.

**Glee!**

_The doctors are worried Rachel because you only fainted but they think you hit your head really hard and you should have woken up by now one of them said that maybe you're in shock or denial about the whole ordeal I understand and I know that you might not want to face the reality of the situation but I know you're stronger than this you're Rachel Berry for God's sake Sam's travelling down you know he was pretty shaken up by the news as you can imagine so he's coming to see us he'll probably sit by your bed like I'm doing right now please get better Rachel we all want that and I know..._

_I know that Finn would want that too _

**Glee!**

"How did he die?" One of many doctors examined the young man's body while another one ran his finger over the paperwork.

"Trapped inside a building on fire, unable to escape, and as you can see, he suffered extensive burns all over his body."

The first doctor tutted and sighed. "That's a shame."

**Glee!**

_Rachel let out a happy sigh as Finn peppered tiny, passionate kisses over her face, giggling at the way his lips tasted of cotton candy; she'd enjoyed their day at the carnival, and he evidently had too._

"_This is for real, isn't it? This is forever."_

_He stopped so he could stare down at her, and she felt herself blushing at the intensity of his gaze. "But the carnival moves on, and it'll be gone by next week.."_

_She smiled softly and stroked his cheek. "I mean us, Finn. We're forever, aren't we?"_

"_I'm offended you'd even question it."_

**Glee!**

_Okay Rachel I have to leave your side for a while because you're not the only one who was hurt tonight and I promised Artie I'd switch with him since he wants to see how you're doing as well and Quinn's still going to be here so you won't be on your own I wonder if you can hear us when we talk they say that coma patients can hear music and speech and you're only unconscious at least that's what the doctors have told us get better soon Rachel and I hope you wake up soon too_

**Glee!**

"How's the patient?"

"Stable, but there's a lot of damage."

"A shooting and a fire all in one place; have the police worked out if the two were connected?"

"I don't know, I haven't had the chance to consult with the chief yet, but it's on my to-do list."

"How's the girl?"

"Unresponsive."

**Glee!**

"_Are you excited?" Rachel asked while she methodically ironed out his suit._

"_About the wedding? Sure, I guess." Finn flicked through an album of family photos, his gaze steely._

"_You don't sound very convinced."_

"_Maybe I'm not."_

_Rachel placed the iron on the board and sighed quietly. "What is it?"_

"_It's gonna be weird, sharing my mom with two other people." He shrugged, gulping slightly. "We're gonna be a family, but I know I'm gonna feel like an outsider."_

_Two perfect little arms wrapped themselves around Finn's neck, and he shuddered with delight as Rachel ran her tongue along his ear, her breathing already laboured. _

"_Your mom adores you, Finn, and as much as she loves Mr Hummel, you'll always come first to her, I promise."_

_Finn gulped again, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "You think?"_

"_I do," she whispered before pressing a kiss to his cheek._

"_I'm more excited about our wedding," he teased, and in that moment, they both knew that it wasn't a possibility; it was an inevitability._

**Glee!**

_Jacob's been arrested Rachel and I thought you should know you might not be able to hear me so I'll probably have to tell you again when you wake up but he's guilty of all kinds of awful things and Santana's still in custody and it looks like justice will be done I'm going to sleep in here tonight so you're not alone and Sam's sleeping in the waiting room and Quinn's in Brittany's room and I'm not sure where Mercedes and Noah got to but I thought I'd stay here because if Finn was able to I know he'd refuse to leave your side goodnight Rachel_

**Glee!**

According to the clock beside her bed, it was 2:46am when Rachel finally woke up. She couldn't remember where she was or why she was there or _anything_ from the night before, but the clock reassured her that it was a ridiculous time to be awake, and so she snuggled back down into the blankets of her bed, trying to remember what she'd been dreaming about .She knew it had something to do with her and Finn, but then again, so did most of her dreams (at least, the ones that actually made sense).

"Finn, where are you?" she mumbled sleepily while she groped around the bed, disgruntled by the lack of boyshape beside her. It was much colder without him, and she felt secure when he had his overly long arms wrapped protectively around her. "Are you using the bathroom?" She squinted around in the darkness, but couldn't make out a single thing, other than the clock that, under closer inspection, wasn't familiar. She didn't recognise the bed, nor the bland scent of the covers, and as she began to get adjusted to the darkness, she called out for him again.

"F-Finn?"

"Rachel?" replied a groggy voice that wasn't her boyfriend's. She sat up in a panic because why would Kurt be in her room when Finn wasn't?

"What's happening? Where am I? Where's Finn? I don't- Ow." She went quiet as she held a hand to her head; it throbbed a little too much for her liking, and Kurt hadn't said a word. "Kurt, are you deaf? What-"

"You're in the hospital," he said quietly, and she could hear the exhaustion in his voice, even if she could barely see him in the darkness. "After the incident at the bar, you fainted and hit your head on the sidewalk, and you've been out for a few hours."

Rachel rubbed the back of her head. She could feel the lump and she could remember the fall, but only barely. So much had been happening, and-

"Finn," she choked, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "They... stretcher... Kurt, w-what-"

"Ssssh, try and get some rest."

Rachel felt a hand on her shoulder but she immediately pushed it away. "Not until you tell me what happened to Finn."

"He's alive," Kurt said without hope, "but barely. He's in the ICU so you can't see him, and Puckerman's waiting up there for any news."

Rachel slumped back against the bed, tears falling fast; he was alive, and she knew that if he'd survived the fire and the beatings, he had to survive the aftermath.

"The body-"

"-was a man called Jack Henshaw. He was Jacob's assistant, and he died in the fire."

Rachel shuddered at the very image, and though she'd despised the man, no one deserved to die in such a horrific way. "How's Brittany?"

"Coping," Kurt said quietly. "She's going to make a full physical recovery, but she hasn't said a word since it happened, and Artie's distraught, as to be expected." She could hear him sit forward in his seat. "I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered, and by the tone of his voice, Rachel knew he was tearing up.

"Get into bed with me," she said softly before shuffling up, leaving a Kurt-spaced gap for him to slip into. "Sleeping on that chair must be terribly bad for your posture, and there's plenty of room for you in here."

"What are we going to tell my brother?" he asked coyly, and Rachel managed a giggle, even if her throat was still sore from the smoke.

"I'm sure he'll understand."

Kurt took off his shoes and slipped under the covers, barely flinching when Rachel curled up against him, her hand clutching his no doubt expensive blazer. "He'll be okay," she said, and though she could feel the way Kurt's body shook with silent sobs, she didn't say anything, but simply cuddled him tighter, smiling when she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders. "It's Finn; he'll be okay."

**Glee!**

Puck shuffled restlessly along the hospital hallway, clutching a coffee in each hand. He yawned for the tenth time that morning, and when he spotted an exhausted-looking Sam, he nodded glumly and held out a cup.

"Morning dude," he grumbled before taking a seat beside the blonde.

"Thanks, and morning yourself." The two of them sipped at their drinks as they stared at the bland walls of the waiting room. "Any change?"

"Nah," said Puck dejectedly. "The burns are pretty bad, and God, they're everywhere."

Sam nodded solemnly. "Kurt told me. Must be a good sign if he's still here though, right?"

"I guess. But what if there's not enough of him to go around? What if-" He drank angrily from his cup to try and distract himself from the possibility that his best friend might not make it, and watched as Sam stood up and stretched, yawning with his overly huge mouth. "I'm gonna go check on Brittany. Oh, but I forgot, Rachel's awake." He managed a small grin. "Thought that might cheer you up."

Puck waved Sam off, and okay, so maybe Finn wasn't doing so well, but Britt was on the mend and Rachel was back in the land of the living, and things were looking up. Once he was done with his coffee, he threw the cup in the trash and knocked gingerly on the door to Rachel's room.

"Come in!" he heard her sing, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling at how normal she looked.

"Good morning Noah! It's so good to see you."

Puck raised an eyebrow at Kurt, who shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat one of Rachel's fruit cups. "Trust you to hit your head and wake up just as fucking chirpy as always."

Rachel tutted as she swallowed a spoonful of apricot. "Language. Where's Quinn?"

"With Finn." His smile disappeared as he sunk into a chair beside the bed. "She swapped places with me." He glanced over at Kurt. "Your lover boy's gone to relieve Artie and Mercedes for a bit, so they might stop by too, I dunno."

"I should visit them," Rachel said, lips pursed. "After I've seen Finn of course."

Kurt gave Puck a look of despair, and he rolled his eyes, snorting. "Berry, they're not letting anyone in there."

"I know, but these are mitigating circumstances. Finn's my boyfriend, and they have to let me see him."

Kurt sighed and placed a gentle hand on Rachel's arm. "Whatever you say."

"I need to use the bathroom." She scooted out of bed, ignoring the way Puck wolf whistled at the sight of her legs under her hospital gown, and smiled briefly at them both. "I won't be long."

Leaving them to it, Rachel slipped out of the room, and instead of heading to the bathroom, she walked along the numerous hallways in search of the ICU. No one was going to keep her from seeing Finn, and even if she had to look at him from behind a window, she just needed to _see_ him.

"Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of the ICU?"

A nurse looked up from her station and eyed Rachel warily, and with a fierce blush, she remembered that she was only wearing a revealing gown.

"I think you should return to your room."

Mortified, and more than a little angry, Rachel turned her back on the nurse, only to spot what looked like a supply closet. With a small smile, she waited until the coast was clear before she snuck inside, grinning at the sight of numerous of hospital scrubs and nurse's outfits. She knew she was going to be caught out sooner or later, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and without a second thought, she grabbed some clothes and pulled them on before looking for the ICU once again.

**Glee!**

Finn opened his eyes and blinked slowly in the bright light, wincing at the pain in his head and his chest and his arms and his legs and his pretty much everything.

"Finn?"

He couldn't tilt his head without a sharp pain rippling through his neck, so he looked straight ahead, breathing heavily.

"R-Rach?" The bed dipped beside him, and through his heavily bandaged hands, he could feel familiar fingers tighten around his own."I c-can't see you," he croaked, his throat thick with soreness. In response, the small girl settled carefully between his legs, looking up at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"How did you know?"

She cocked her head and squeezed his hand again. "Know what baby?"

He managed a smile as he looked her up and down. "About my s-sexy nurse fantasy."

Rachel giggled and shimmied her shoulders a little before gazing fondly at him, her eyes brimming with years. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long," he said hoarsely. "The doctor came in and gave me some meds I think."

"Does it hurt?" she asked, her voice small.

"No."

"I know you're lying."

"T-then why did you ask?"

She bit her lip, shrugging as she stroked his hand. "I don't know. I'm so sorry, I'm so-"

"Don't," he croaked, trying to shake his head. "S'not your fault. Listen, Rachel." Finn wanted to sit up, to say needed to be said properly, but there was no way he could move, not without suffering as a consequence. "I d-don't think we should see each other anymore." He turned his head on a side to avoid her confused gaze, and lazily closed his eyes, his body screaming for rest. "I want you to go."

"No."

He sighed silently to himself. He hadn't expected her to give up easily, but she needed to see why it was the right decision (except he was too tired to explain). Besides, the pain meds were already beginning to wear off, and he was worried he was gonna snap at her, burst into tears, or no doubt both.

"Go."

"_No_." Rachel's hand tightened around his, and he felt an uncomfortable lump in his throat. "Get some rest, and I'll wait in here until they kick me-"

"Stop it!" he barked, instantly wincing at the volume of his voice and the aftermath of yelling. "I don't love you s-so get out!"

He kept his cowardly eyes closed because if he saw her crying or whatever, he'd be forced to admit he was lying. You had to be cruel to be kind, and there was no fucking way he was going to hold her back.

"You're being ridiculous. If you want me to leave so you can sleep, I will gladly do so." He heard her gulp and he knew her face would be crumpling with the effort not to cry, but he kept his eyes closed, gritting his teeth.

"I don't l-l-love you, just-" When he felt Rachel's hand on his heavily bandaged face, he broke. On top of everything, this was the last thing he wanted, especially when Rachel was the only good thing he had left. Tears spilled down his face and soaked into the bandages, and the only sound to be heard was Finn's broken, choked sobs, and the occasional kind word from Rachel.

"Tell me what's wrong, Finn." He finally opened his red raw eyes to be welcomed with an understanding smile, and it only made him cry harder. "Finn."

He sucked in a shuddery breath and did his best to calm himself, though the pain was becoming too much for him. "Have you seen me?"

Rachel bit her lip and shook her head softly. "What do you mean?"

"Look at me! I'm burnt from head to toe!" He flinched away and stared up angrily at the ceiling, resentment burning as strong as the fire across his skin. "When they take the bandages off, I'm gonna be nothing. They're gonna have to do multiple skin grafts, and you won't be able to recognise me and I'll be so fucking _ugly_." Hot, furious tears fell down his cheeks and his lip wobbled and he blinked and shuddered a breath and ignored the expression on Rachel's face. "All I've ever wanted is f-for you to be a star, Rachel, and if you stay with me, I'll h-hold you back. The bar's a wreck and the doctor told me I won't be able to walk for months and y-you deserve so much better than an invalid." He closed his eyes on defeat. "Go."

He waited for the slam of her hands on his arm, the bang of the door in rage, and practically anything apart from the soft texture of Rachel's lips on his own cracked, charred ones.

"W-what are you-"

"You honestly think that I love you because of what you look like?" She raised an eyebrow and frowned while she gently stroked his hair, most of which had survived the fire. "While yes, I admit that you are one of the most beautiful people to ever walk this earth, that's only one of the reasons I adore you, Finn." Softly, she placed a hand on his chest, and when she could feel his heart beating, she gave him a teary smile. "You have such a big heart, and even now, when you're suffering, you're too busy thinking of me to pay attention to yourself, and that's why I could never leave you. Unless you really don't love me anymore, I'm staying with you for the rest of our lives."

"I love you so much," Finn said in a half sob, and as gently as she could so that she wouldn't hurt him, Rachel curled up beside her boyfriend. She knew he'd never look the same, and she knew things wouldn't be the same either, but she was ready for any challenge, because after all, she was Rachel Barbra Berry, and she didn't believe in giving up.

**A/N: **So there we have it, the penultimate chapter, with just an epilogue to go. I don't know how convincing it was that it looked like Finn had died, rather than Jacob's sidekick, but rest assured, I don't ever see myself writing about the death of Finn and/or Rachel in any of my fics because that would probably kill me too haha.

Here's my obligatory 'thanks for all the amazing feedback!' message (no seriously, thank you; this story has had the most hits out of any that I've ever written), and thank you for sticking with it until the end; hopefully the last chapter won't disappoint when I'm finished with it.

So, thoughts and feelings? Drama's not really my expertise, so feedback would be very much appreciated as always, and thanks for reading! I can't believe it's almost over :') ~Rachael x


	12. Epilogue

_There's so much fire. The smoke is choking him and he can't feel his legs and where's Rachel? He needs Rachel to be safe but he can't see her so he yells and yells and yells._

Finn woke to Rachel gently shaking his shoulders. "Finn baby, it's okay, it was just a dream."

He moaned and groggily blinked a few times before he broke into a wide smile, because of course, it was just another nightmare. "What time is it?"

"Early enough for you to get some more rest if you want," she said softly while she stroked his cheek.

"I need to use the bathroom a sec," Finn said with a nod, and as he swung his legs out of bed, Rachel jumped up and hurried to help support him.

"Not so fast," she scolded, and Finn rolled his eyes, because she was just like his mom (except Rachel was actually worse than her, but he loved her for that). "Do you need any help getting ready?"

"Nah, I can manage, thanks Rach. Just... Can you sit on the bed and like, not move? I need to show you something."

Perplexed but intrigued all the same, Rachel simply nodded, and waited diligently for him while he limped slowly into the bathroom of their new apartment.

Well, it was new-ish, and they actually had a double bed to share (though they still ended up cuddled together each night without fail).

The support bars on practically every wall still made his heart sink a little, 'cause it sucked not being steady enough to walk properly on his own, but his physical therapist told him that if he stuck with the sessions, he'd be as good as new in no time (he still refused to use the walking stick he'd been given though).

Ten minutes later, his teeth were brushed and he was back on the bed (with only one slight stumble, and Rachel had been there, as always, to catch him).

"Are you going back to sleep?" she asked innocently while she ran her fingers through his hair, and for a second, Finn was definitely tempted; he was sure he was a dog or something in a former life, 'cause there was nothing as comforting as being stroked.

"No, I still need to show you something," he said, and with the briefest of winks that left Rachel giggling, he pushed her down onto the bed and kissed her as passionately as he could muster so early in the morning.

"Mmm, minty," she murmured appreciatively, and Finn shrugged before kissing her again, his tongue tracing patterns in her mouth.

"I didn't want to subject you to my morning breath."

Rachel scraped her nails down his back and wrapped her legs around his waist, and sucked briefly on his bottom lip. "That's very thoughtful of you."

"That's what they all say."

Even if he was still learning to walk properly, he hadn't forgotten how to have awesome sex with his awesome girlfriend.

**Glee!**

"_I don't want to do this," he said through gritted teeth, and though she knew how weak and vulnerable he felt, Rachel couldn't let him quit. It hurt though, so much, to see him crying day and night without being able to help, and she knew that for him to get better, he had to attend physical therapy._

"_It'll be fine," she said as she pushed him down the hospital corridor in his wheelchair. "I'll be there the whole time, and-"_

"_No." She could hear him whimpering, and her heart all but broke at the tortured sound. "I don't want you to see me like this, pathetic and useless and ugh, fucking hell."_

_Rachel stopped, set the brakes on the chair, then moved around to the front, staring into her boyfriend's red rimmed eyes. Half of his face was still covered in bandages after one of his many skin grafts, and yes, though he admittedly looked beaten and worn down, he was anything but useless._

"_Though we're not married... _yet," _she whispered with a smile, and Finn managed a tiny smile in return, "I promise to love you in sickness and in health." Carefully, knowing that his hands were still sore and badly burnt, she took one in her own and softly ran a thumb over his knuckles. "I know that you're hurting in so many ways, Finn, and I know that you hate to rely on other people or show physical weakness, but you need to do this, and I'm going to stay." Before he could protest, she gently pressed a finger to his dry lips. "Before you protest and insist that you want to do this on your own, I'm going to be there. I want to watch you be strong and get through this, and then we can look back on your bravery and be proud of what you've achieved."_

_Finn looked taken aback, and though he said nothing, she could see the doubt in his shining eyes. "I know it's going to be scary at first, and you might get frustrated at how little you can do, but it's about perseverance. When you first joined the glee club, your voice was average, and after some forceful vocal training by none other than yours truly, you were slightly better than average, so it can be done." She winked at him and he let out a small but honest laugh, which she claimed as a victory._

"_I love you Rach," he said, and he pulled her against him for a brief kiss, tears rolling down his scorched cheeks._

"_I love you too Finn, and I know you can do this." _

_She definitely knew he could do this._

**Glee!**

Rachel checked the rota for the third time that morning, and though she knew how much it annoyed Kurt when she did so, she re-checked her watch and cell phone simultaneously.

"Don't you think you're babying him, Rachel?"

She looked up after clarifying that all of the shifts were in order and frowned, glancing at the clock behind Kurt's head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please," he drawled as he put away one of several hundred wine glasses, "you treat Finn like he's an invalid who can't do anything for himself; do you think that will help him psychologically? Soon he'll come to depend on you when he doesn't need to, and-"

"Hey, Hummel," barked Puck from the kitchen, "lay off Berry, she's doing an awesome job."

Rachel beamed at that comment (since Noah rarely complimented her), and overcome with a childish need to gloat, she stuck her tongue out at Kurt. "I'm doing no such thing," she said primly. "In fact, I'm trying to let him cope on his own."

"I've seen you both though! You're his walking stick and you do everything for him!"

If it hadn't been for the fact that Finn had made love to her just an hour before, Rachel would have snapped Kurt's head off in outrage. However, still high on the euphoria of knowing that someone loved her so intensely, she found herself to be calm and collected.

"It may appear that way when you come to visit, but that's only in a short period of time. In fact, Finn can walk unsupervised around the apartment, and I only have to help him when he's nervous he's going to make a fool of himself in front of you." Kurt's cheeks flushed with colour at the revelation, and she continued as she placed a soft hand on her friend's arm. "You know that me working here isn't necessary. Finn insisted that I let you run things like you have been, but the reason I'm here is because he needs to learn how to look after himself."

Kurt looked dumbfounded. "Really? Isn't that hard for you?"

"It's awful," she admitted quietly, and Kurt pulled out a stool for her before pouring them both a glass of lemonade. "Whenever I'm away from him, I'm worried that he's slipped in the shower or has fallen over the coffee table. Sometimes I worry that he's hiding how painful it all is." She took a sad sip from her drink and shrugged slightly, tears brimming in her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if he cries when I'm not there, and then I just want to rush home and hug him forever."

Kurt drunk some of his orange to avoid having to talk (his tears were a little less subtle than Rachel's), and once they'd finished, they didn't talk about it again, and simply focused on getting the bar ready for the night.

**Glee!**

_Artie was terrified as soon as they stepped foot (and wheeled) inside the building. He remembered, in the days of high school, when Puck had told him all about juvie, and how mortified he'd been at some of the details (he thought the whole claiming bitches thing was a myth). This place? It looked a hundred times worse, and he couldn't imagine anyone living in there, even Santana._

_He rolled beside Brittany, who looked lost and a little intimidated, and he wondered if this was such a good idea after all. Either way, if his girlfriend wanted to visit her ex-best friend, he was obligated to accompany her._

_After signing in and sitting in the waiting room with a group of scary looking people, they were called in to see Santana, who looked completely different in her new environment. It wasn't just her lack of makeup that made her looked washed out, but her whole appearance was beaten down and defeated, and it didn't suit her at all._

_Her eyes barely lit up when Brittany took her seat, Artie sitting beside her, and she didn't offer them a smile of any sort._

"_I don't understand why you're both here," she said dully, and he looked nervously at his girlfriend; so much for introductions._

"_We wanted to see if you were okay," said Brittany innocently, and she squeezed Artie's hand; Santana's gaze flickered down briefly at the interaction, but a second later she looked back at the table separating them, her eyes distant._

"_Well I'm not, so you can go now."_

"_Do you have your own bitch yet?" _

_Santana raised an eyebrow in Artie's direction while Brittany held back a giggle, and miraculously, the Latina cracked some semblance of a rusty smile._

"_Very funny wheels. Actually, I just keep myself to myself and try not to attract too much attention."_

"_Are you sad?" Both Santana and Artie looked at Brittany, who was twirling a piece of hair around her finger. "Well, San?"_

"_Yes," she said with a sigh and a shrug. "I'm still super pissed that Jacob used me when I hadn't killed that guy, and I'm still super guilty that I shot you in the first place." She bit her lip, cocking her head in intrigue. "Why don't you two hate me? I could have killed you Britt, and you're just acting like it's no big deal."_

"_I don't hate you," said the blonde quietly. "I know you were just frightened of Jacob and everything that was going wrong, and it was an accident." She mirrored Santana's shrug. "I forgive you."_

_They didn't miss the tear that slipped down Santana's cheek._

**Glee!**

"How's it all going man?" asked Artie as they played their third game of Halo. Finn liked hanging out with the guy, because unlike Kurt, who had to check that he wasn't dying every five minutes, Artie gave him space and acted like it was no big deal. Finn figured that he was used to being pitied and all that kind of crap, and he understood how annoying it could be when people thought you weren't capable of looking after yourself.

"I think I have everything ready," he said with a grin before briefly shouting at the TV in outrage. "I'm still shitting bricks that something's gonna go wrong, but yeah, I'm as ready as can be."

Artie glanced away from the flat screen to briefly smile across at his friend, though he paid the price when he was shot from behind.

"Damn it," he growled, and Finn leaned over to pat him on the back.

"Man, you really have gotten worse over the years." Artie gave him the middle finger as Brittany walked in, Lord Tubbington in her grasp and Lady Whiskerly trailing behind (why they had to bring their goddamn cats every time, Finn would never know).

"Artie, stop that, the babies will see!"

Finn chuckled as he turned off the game, 'cause he knew that the two of them were heading out to visit Santana in jail, something they'd started doing regularly since the 'incident' at the bar. Rach had been furious when she'd first heard that they were going to see her, but as far as he could see, it was a good thing, since not even Santana deserved to be alone.

"Are you nervous about tonight, Finn?" Brittany asked softly whilst she brushed her long blonde hair and pulled it into a ponytail. He noticed, as her shirt rode up and her stomach was slightly exposed, that the scar was bigger than he thought it would be. Still, it was kind of one of those things that they didn't talk about. Sure, Santana was an okay topic to breach, but any reference to the shooting made Brittany uncharacteristically quiet, so everyone backed off.

"Yeah," he said, biting his lip. "You promise you'll both be there, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Finn pulled them both in for a hug.

**Glee!**

"_Today's the big day," said the doctor in an over the top, chipper manner, and Rachel felt Finn squeeze her fingers automatically. She wanted to ask the man to tone down his enthusiasm, because since the accident, this had been the thing Finn looked forward to the least. "Are you nervous?"_

_Before he could protest and curse at the doctor, Rachel stepped in for her boyfriend, knowing that being polite was preferable to being crude. "Not to be disrespectful, Dr Price, but that question seems a little unnecessary. Finn and I are both trying to deal with this the best way we can, and though I'll love him just as much if his burns are worse than expected, it's obvious that we're both slightly nervous."_

_The doctor, instead of looking embarrassed, simply let out a loud, bellowing laugh that made Finn wince and look away. "Sorry I spoke." He checked the chart that hung on the end of the bed, made a few additions to the forms, then approached Finn, who was looking more and more green with every footstep._

"_Maybe we should wait for another day."_

"_Nonsense," said Dr Price in an offhand manner. "I'll remove the bandages and hand your girlfriend a mirror. Take as long as you need; I'll leave the room and come back later to properly examine you."_

_The silence strangled Rachel as she watched, fearful, while the doctor slowly unravelled the bandages from Finn's face. She had a vague idea of what he'd look like, since his burns would no doubt resemble the ones that covered the rest of his body, yet she was still terrified that he'd look un-Finnlike._

_Quite honestly, she knew she would always love him, even if the bandages revealed that he now looked like a monkey. For her, it had never just been Finn's physical appearance that had attracted her, and though it would be painful to see such a perfect face damaged in some way, it wouldn't make any difference to her._

_It was Finn that she was worried for. Though he rarely voiced his concerns to her, Kurt had relayed the information several times that his brother thought Rachel was going to leave him if he was too badly scarred. Every time his doubts got the better of him, she'd try to make him see that she'd always love him, no matter what, but he never quite believed her._

"_Okay, here's the mirror," said the doctor quietly, and he handed the object over to Rachel, who had her eyes closed tightly. "I'll see you in a few hours, Finn."_

_The door closed, the silence remained, and eventually, Finn cleared his throat. "Um, Rach, are you gonna uh... look at me?"_

_His voice alone broke her heart, because now more than ever, she could hear how terrified he was._

_Taking a deep breath, Rachel readied herself, opened and her eyes, and gasped loudly, causing Finn to grit his teeth and look away bitterly._

"_Just go," he growled. He didn't look at her when the bed dipped at her weight, and he didn't look at her when she softly placed her hand on his cheek._

"_Baby, turn this way."_

_Tears ran down Finn's face, and though he was reluctant, he turned to her, his expression a mixture of anger and fear._

_From a medical point of view, Finn had suffered major burns, and it was pure luck that his right eye hadn't been damaged in the fire. The right side of his face was distorted and unfamiliar, skin grafts making it uneven and raw, and everything seemed to shine, pink and painful. Though his lips were practically unscathed, they dipped in almost a grimace, though Rachel wasn't sure if that was just because of Finn's current mood._

_Clumps of hair had disappeared, burnt bald patches left in their place, and his right ear looked almost black, though the doctor had insisted once before that it would eventually improve over time._

"_You're beautiful," she whispered, and for a second, Finn managed a smile, pulling uncomfortably at the healing skin._

"_You don't mean that, and don't say it if you're just going to leave me."_

_Ignoring him, she curiously ran a finger over the burnt side of his face, getting familiar with the texture and the feel underneath her touch. He said nothing, only sat and watched her in a half daze as her finger moved to his lips. She trailed over the outline of his mouth, exploring every part of his face, and when she'd memorised him, she gently cupped his face in her hands and kissed him with all the passion and love she had in her heart. Though surprised and confused at first, Finn gave in to her lips, and they shared a long, needy kiss that left both of them breathless and dizzy._

"_You're beautiful," she said whilst she ran a hand through his hair, a blush on her cheeks. "A burn is a burn, and I'm just glad that your freckles weren't melted off in the fire."_

_Finn gave her a crooked grin that still, after all these years, made her heart flutter, and she knew they'd be okay, even if it was going to hurt at the same time._

"_In fact," she whispered, peppering kisses over his damaged cheek, "I think it's kind of hot."_

"_No you don't," he snorted, and she silenced him with a brief kiss._

"_Yes I do. It's a reminder of how amazing you are. You went through so much to keep your friends and family safe, and none of us will ever forget that." She wiped away one of the tears that ran down his face (she was used to the fact that was Finn was more emotional after the fire) and rested her head against his chest while she listened to the comforting sound of his heartbeat. "You're really beautiful, Finn, and it's going to take a lot more than a tiny burn to make me stop loving you."_

_At that moment, Finn didn't care what he looked like, because it didn't matter, so long as he always had her._

**Glee!**

Rachel couldn't wait for her day to be over. Though she loved working at the bar (well, it was more of a love of actually performing at the bar), she constantly missed Finn, and like she'd told Kurt, it was hard to be away from him, knowing that he might be struggling on his own.

He'd come a long way in six months though, and considering he hadn't been able to walk after the fire, she was so proud of how far he'd come, even if he had a little bit of trouble now and again.

"Do you mind if I take the night off?"

Kurt's head snapped up as she shook it frantically from side to side. "You are certainly _not_ disappearing tonight!" he all but squeaked, and Rachel was taken aback by his insistence. Yes, he was the 'boss' now (until Finn returned at least), but they had some sort of an understanding, and she wanted to go home and see her boyfriend.

"Why?" She put her hands on her hips and frowned indignantly; Noah was always taking random nights off to look after his pregnant girlfriend, so why should she be exempt from occasionally skipping her shift?

"B-because... because it's going to be busy!" Kurt busied himself with making some kind of nasty looking cocktail, and Rachel didn't question it when he added coffee beans, apple juice and vodka because _something_ was going on.

"It's always busy, but that doesn't stop me usually."

"It's just important that you work tonight, that's all. We're... We're short staffed, and I need you because... because Barbra requested that you sing for her!" He looked proud of himself, and Rachel rolled her eyes; he was a terrible liar. "Yes, that's it, she requested you specifically, so you can't disappoint one of our best customers."

"Fine," she said with a huff, and she disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the more popular dishes (Quinn worked sporadically, being pregnant and all). Whatever Kurt was planning, she knew that he was up to no good.

Either way, since she was a good friend, she would humour him, and make him pay in the future somehow.

**Glee!**

"_So, what do you think? Good or bad idea?"_

_Kurt practically pounced on Finn, engulfing him in an extremely tight hug, and even though all he could see was Sam's chest before he joined in on the action, he could hear his mom crying already._

"_I love it!" breathed Kurt, and Finn awkwardly patted his brother on the back._

"_You can both let go now," he mumbled, slightly embarrassed, and when they'd both taken their seats, he smiled at his mom. "You're crying in a good way, right?"_

"_Course she is son." God, even Burt was tearing up, and if they didn't quit it, Finn would be joining them. "We'll help in any way we can."_

**Glee!**

"You're looking extremely handsome today."

Finn looked over his shoulder and grinned at Quinn, who, as always, had a protective hand over her belly. He couldn't remember how far she was or whatever, but according to Rachel, she'd been pregnant before the whole Jacob shit had hit the fan, and without sounding rude, she was pretty huge now.

She looked completely different the second time round, and not just because she was older. The first time, with Beth and everything, she hadn't been comfortable in her own skin (even Finn could see that) and she'd never been happy having a baby in her belly.

Now that the pregnancy was a good thing, she practically glowed wherever she went, and he knew, without a doubt, that her and Puck were gonna be awesome parents.

"Thanks," he said, and he brushed down his suit, only wincing slightly at the constant pain in his right shoulder. "Could you help with my tie please?"

Rolling her eyes with a smile, Quinn walked into his bedroom and pulled up his collar before wrapping the tie around his neck.

"I already know what the answer is going to be, but are you nervous?"

He laughed and nodded, gulping as he checked his watch. "Yeah, but it'll be worth it."

"She's going to be so happy," the blonde said softly, and when his tie was all sorted out, Finn pulled her against him into a careful hug (he didn't really wanna squash the baby).

"I hope so," he whispered, and once he'd managed to put on his shoes, the two left the apartment, Finn shaking from head to toe.

**Glee!**

By nine o'clock, the bar was filled to the brim with customers, and Rachel felt like she was drowning. She was still in her element though, and after working in the kitchen for a few hours, she was out serving drinks to those who waited, occasionally singing a song or two to a round of impressive applause.

She'd tried, countless times, to convince Kurt to let her go, but even she could see that it was too busy for her to disappear, so she persevered, grimacing now and again when she thought of Finn on his own.

"Hey Rachel."

Rachel smiled briefly in Sam's direction, and was a little taken aback when she saw Brittany and Artie beside him; she hadn't realised that they were in the city.

"Hey guys, how are things?"

Sam had already zoned out of the conversation and was instead watching his fiancé singing some Wicked song, and Brittany was too busy checking her cell to pay any attention, so it was left to Artie to reply, though Rachel could barely see him over the bar.

"Good thanks. We went to see Santana today, and she seems to be getting better."

"That's nice. I'm sorry, I'd really like to stay and chat, but it's busy tonight and I need to give Natalie Portman her drinks."

"No you don't."

Rachel almost dropped the tray of glasses in her hand at the sound of the familiar voice, and, eyes wide, she looked up at Finn, who was grinning so hard that she wondered if she had something embarrassing on her face.

"F-Finn, what are you doing here?" She placed the tray on the bar and stood on the tips of her toes so she could pull him into her for a hug. She could feel him chuckling as her arms wrapped themselves around her neck, and damn, she really had missed him, and she wasn't sure if that was healthy.

"Can't I stop by my own bar to say hi to my awesome girlfriend?" he teased, and when she pulled back, she noticed that he was all dressed up (and looking especially fine).

"Of course, I- It's a nice surprise." She smiled at him, and he smiled at her, and before she could ask him what was really going on, Kurt was tapping his finger against the microphone on the stage.

"Could I get everyone's attention please?"

"Finn, what-"

"Sssh, listen to Kurt."

Rachel, more than a little confused, directed her gaze at Kurt, and her hand found Finn's, which made her feel more at ease (why did she have the feeling that this was all some kind of huge prank?).

"Tonight, the owner of Faithfully bar, Mr Finn Hudson himself, is in the premises for the first time since the unfortunate incident that occurred here six months before. If you could all give him a round of applause for being brave, that would be wonderful."

Every single person in the room began to clap and cheer for Finn, and Rachel could see the tips of his ears burning bashfully. "I won't be long," he whispered as he kissed her forehead, and while her heart slammed frantically against her chest, she watched him walk unsteadily towards the stage.

"Thanks man," he grinned at Kurt, and he took the microphone in his own hands, quickly scanning the room for someone or another. "Hey, I'm uh, I'm Finn Hudson, and like Kurt said, this is actually the first time I've seen the place since it was rebuilt and remodelled and stuff." He nodded and smiled a little awkwardly in a way that made Rachel melt, because he'd never been comfortable with speaking publicly. "Looks good, huh?"

There were a few cheers, and Rachel giggled when she heard Elton John wolf whistle at the back of the room.

"Anyway, uh, I'm not just here to admire the scenery," Finn continued. "Actually, I have a surprise in store, and a few of my friends came to help."

On cue, her parents, Finn's parents, and Sean and Celine walked towards the stage from out of nowhere, and it took all Rachel had not to cry; it felt like forever since she'd last seen any of them.

"Rach, could you um- Could you come over here, please?" Finn was grinning from ear to ear, and with the whole bar silent, she walked hesitantly into the middle of the floor, smiling timidly at her parents and granting Sean with a wave. "Okay, so, when we were apart, it pretty much sucked balls." A few people laughed, and Rachel giggled when she saw Carole giving him a disappointed glare. "Even though I was a dick for not taking you back, I wanted to, so badly, and I wrote a song for you that I never got to perform." He cleared his throat and nodded to someone behind her, and when a live band started playing (with Artie, Sam and Puck all on guitar), Finn closed his eyes and began to sing.

_Face to face and heart to heart; we're so close yet so far apart_

He was amazing at many things, whether it was playing the drums, getting her to stay in bed for a little longer, or having a heart big enough to forgive anything, but Rachel had never suspected that he was a secret song writer, and not just a mediocre one; he was phenomenal. Brittany, Quinn and Kurt began to sing in the background, harmonising gently with the powerful lyrics, and through no choice of her own, tears rushed down Rachel's face as she listened to Finn's heart in every word.

Before she knew it, the song was over, and all she wanted to do was hug him forever, but he cleared his throat and modestly accepted the overwhelming applause before he continued with his speech. "Thank you, thanks. Yeah, uh, I wrote that a few years ago, and I just wanted you to know that even though we were apart for so long, I never stopped loving you, and I was stupid for not realising that sooner."

And then he stepped off of the stage and began to approach her, and the fire in his eyes made his knees go weak. Whatever he had to say now, it was just for the two of them, because without a microphone, his voice wouldn't carry more than a few feet away.

"Rachel," he said softly, tilting her face up towards his, "I love you more than you'll ever know, and I've never been so sure about something before; I just want to spend the rest of my life with you." He gave her his infamous crooked grin that made her laugh and tear up, but when he started to kneel down, she pulled him back up and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"Finn, kneeling down is something that you haven't conquered in physical therapy yet, and you could injure yourself and-" Her face went white as she placed a hand over her chest. "Oh my God, why do you want to kneel down? I-"

Still smiling, Finn got down on one knee, barely wincing. "I've actually been practicing this for a while," he admitted as he took her hand, and Rachel looked like she was going to pass out at any moment. "You're it for me, Rachel, and even if I've always known it, this stuff with the fire and everything... You've just been so amazing, and you've never complained about having to look after me, and you still love me, even though I'm ugly as hell." She tutted and was about to interrupt, but he shook his head, and she simply bit her lip instead.

"Finn..."

"Rachel Barbra Berry, even though I'm gonna be a huge burden on you, I thought..." He gulped and licked his lips, and the girl in front of him giggled at his nerves. "You know, you can marry me if you want to."

"I want to," she breathed, and Finn spluttered as his eyes widened.

"Y-you do?"

"Of course I do!"

Their friends and family cheered around them as Rachel helped Finn up and leapt into his arms, sharing a kiss, and it wasn't until Kurt screamed a reminder about the ring that Finn remembered that he had it in his pocket.

"Oops, yeah, I probably should have given you this first," he said lamely as he fished it out of his pants. He opened the tiny box, hoping she wouldn't be too disappointed by the small diamond and simple gold band, though judging by the way she squealed and practically deafened him, it had been a good choice.

"Oh my God Finn, it's beautiful!" she squeaked, and she shakily held out her hand to him. He carefully slipped it on (and sighed in relief that it fit) before leaning in to brush his lips over her temple.

"Gold rings are important, and this gold ring is a metaphor for you being um... something."

She was about to kiss him again when she was bombarded with hugs from her fathers and everyone in between, and when she was sure that she'd shown her perfect ring to just about everyone, she found herself standing in front of Finn again, who was flushed with excitement and pride.

"I have one more surprise." He took Rachel's hands (silently marvelling at how awesome Rachel's hand looked with the new addition) and nodded in Puck's direction, and just like before, music started playing, though this time it was the unusual combination of Sean and Kurt who began to sing.

"Faithfully," Rachel breathed as she gazed up at Finn in adoration.

"Yeah," he said shyly, placing her hands on his shoulders as his rested on her hips. "I know they're not gonna be as good as us, but I wanted this song to play while I showed you what else I've been practicing."

Thought it was slightly awkward at first, Finn started a gentle sway of a dance, and Rachel teared up as she leaned into his body, moving with him as he did his best not to step on her feet.

"Are you sure you're not in pain?" she whispered against his shoulder, and he nodded, concentrating on the rhythm.

"I'm a little sore, but it's totally worth it. I can't believe we're engaged!"

Rachel laughed, burying her face against his chest, and as they danced slowly to the music, Finn smiled over at his mom, who was watching proudly, Burt by her side.

"You named the bar after us, didn't you?"

Caught off guard by her question, he grinned and shrugged as he twirled her around. "I might have."

"I love you Finn."

"I love you too Rachel."

**Glee!**

It was getting late, and after working so hard, Rachel wanted nothing more than to sink into bed beside Finn, who had that glint in his eye that meant she wouldn't exactly be sleeping for a while. She was about to reward him when the phone started to ring, and though Finn slumped back against the bed with a groan, she knew she had to answer it.

"I won't be long baby," she said softly before blowing him a kiss, and her lips quirked when she saw him catch it and pretend to press it against his heart. Honestly, sometimes she couldn't handle how utterly adorable he was.

Reluctantly, she stepped out of the bedroom and picked up the receiver, holding it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hi there. I hope this isn't an inadequate time but I'm calling on behalf of a national survey. Could you spare five minutes to help collect some data?"_

Rachel frowned; they were calling a little late, but knowing it wouldn't take long, she was feeling particularly generous. "Of course."

"_Thank you. Though the questions may appear a little personal, they will not be distributed for third party use, and will be used in the strictest of confidence. Firstly, how old are you please?"_

"Twenty three."

"_Where do you live?"_

"New York City."

"_What is your occupation?"_

"I work as a singing waitress, and sometimes a chef, at a bar."

"_Did you attend college or any kind of further education?"_

"I spent a year in college, though reluctantly had to drop out."

"_Are you currently single?"_

"No."

"_Are you happy?"_

"Yes, very much so."

"_That's all; thank you for your time. But oh, one last thing. Could you give me your name, please?"_

Rachel wrapped the cord of the phone around her finger, and with a smile that made her cheeks ache, she tried to control the butterflies in her stomach.

"Rachel Hudson."

And she was planning on being Rachel Hudson for the rest of her life.

**A/N: **And there we have it, the very end of this story! I can't believe I actually stuck with it long enough to finish the damn thing haha, but yeah, there we go (it was corny and cliche, I know, I know, but I'm a sucker for fluff and a happy ending, so hopefully it wasn't too disappointing).

Thank you thank you _thank you_ to every single person who has read, reviewed, alerted and favourited this story. I've had an absolute blast writing it, and I couldn't have done it without the insanely kind words of you wonderful people.

Though this story may have come to and end, I literally have about seven other fics that are almost ready for publication, so this is me closing a door and opening a new window (or whatever that saying is haha).

Again, thank you guys so much, and I hope you enjoyed it! (feel free to let me know, and if you have any specific questions about the characters that I didn't focus on as much, I'll be more than happy to answer them).

Cheers!

Rachael :) x


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